Soul Squared
by muddyevil
Summary: It was only one job, right? What harm could it do? A sister fic to Iron and Paper. Rated M Lemons. Main Pairing BickslowxLisanna Cover image by the amazing Kmmcm on Tumblr.
1. Chapter 1

Lisanna ran down the street of Magnolia, trying desperately not to trip on the uneven flagstones that made up the surface of the pavement. She was supposed to meet Juvia at the guild hall at exactly noon, and the sun was already almost exactly above her. She had got caught up in talking to Mira while she was packing and now she was running late.

* * *

"You're going on a job with Bickslow and Juvia? That's a really weird combination of you. What exactly is the job for?"

Lisanna sighed, pulling clothes out of her chest of drawers and trying to decide what she needed for the couple of days ahead. Bickslow had told them they would be back by nightfall, but Lisanna always packed for a few days just in case. You never knew what was going to happen.

"It's the one in Vikx Atoll, Mira. The one that came in a couple of weeks back? Juvia has been on a job for the last two weeks, and Bickslow has been busy with the rest of the Thunder Legion so this is the first chance we have had to go."

She folded up a t-shirt and placed it into her bag, zipping it up as her sister continued to talk. She understood that Mira just worried every time she went on a job without her or Elfman, but Lisanna was a big girl now. She could handle herself fine. Plus, Juvia was S-Class back in Phantom Lord and was an S-Class candidate back on Tenrou. Sure, they had both got their arses whipped by Erza, but come on that was Erza.

"Isn't that the exorcism? Why are you going along?"

Lisanna made her way to the kitchen, going to grab some supplies for the job. She had been on far too many missions where there had been nowhere to find food, and she didn't want to find herself going hungry again. She opened a couple of the cupboards, pulling down tins as she replied.

"The client says the ghost haunting him used to be an animal take over mage. Bickslow asked me to come along in case I could talk him out of the haunting. If it doesn't work out, he'll just do whatever he does to sort it out. Juvia was sat next to me when we were talking about it and says there are no boats that go out to that island. She's going to help us swim over there."

Mira passed Lisanna a few bottles of water from the cupboard closest to her and asked her final question.

"Surely Bickslow can just fly on his little baby thingies, and you can transform into a fish? I don't see why you need Juvia there at all."

Lisanna paused for a second, before shrugging and adding the last few supplies to her bag.

"It doesn't help having another powerhouse on the team, right? I thought you'd be happy that I had someone else protecting me."

Mira gave her little sister a look, before pulling her in for a hug. Lisanna sighed, and simply allowed herself to melt into her sisters embrace. She tried to not get annoyed by her older sibling's overprotective natures, she really did, but nothing helped better than the last hug she had with them before she left for a job.

"Just be careful, ok? And if Bickslow does anything to you, I will personally kill him. No matter how much of a crush you have on him."

Lisanna blushed, pulling away from her sister as soon as possible. They had been drunk one night, and her older sister had been plying her for information regarding her love life. Lisanna had admitted that she found Bickslow attractive, much to the amusement of all the other girls who were sat in Cana's apartment at the time. It wasn't even a crush. She just thought he was good looking, that was all.

* * *

Lisanna ran into the guild and saw Juvia sat on a table right next to Gajeel. She had always been somewhat wary of the Iron Dragon Slayer, after being told what he had done to the guild, but his Edolas counterpart had been alright and Levy insisted that he had changed so it had gotten better. He simply scowled at her, but the way Juvia was talking to him he looked relieved that she was about to leave. The water mage picked up her backpack and joined Lisanna on their way to meet Bickslow at the docks. He had said he would be coming off a training session with the Raijinshuu, and he didn't want to make his way all the way back to the guild to just go back to the docks again straight away.

"How was your job, Juvia? Are you sure you mind coming on another job straight away?"

Juvia smiled, hoisting her backpack onto her shoulders as she hurried to catch up with Lisanna.

"Juvia enjoyed it. It was relatively easy, but she did get lonely. She managed to go back home and shower and repack, so she is fine. Plus, she loves spending time with Lisanna-chan."

Lisanna grinned. No matter how much she loved Edolas-Juvia, she much preferred this shy Juvia. No one was more friendly than Earthland Juvia, and she really was fun to spend time with. Whereas in Edolas you really needed to fight to have a conversation with Juvia, here in Earthland you fell into conversation pretty easily.

"So what did you have to do on your job?"

Juvia adjusted her bag, before blushing slightly. The job had been pretty embarrassing, but she knew that Lisanna wouldn't ever judge her.

"Well, Juvia had to go to a village that has been in a drought for the last few months. They had heard that Juvia was the rain woman, but hadn't heard that she can't control the rain and hasn't cause rain around her for a while. But it's ok because Juvia got sad that she disappointed them and it started raining! And then she was happy and it stopped raining. It was embarrassing. Juvia ended up spending time refilling their reservoirs so they should be ok for a while."

Lisanna smiled at Juvia's predicament. She had been told about how much more powerful the woman was in the rain, and really did feel sorry for her. It must be difficult losing the majority of your power when you were happy.

"Are you sure you're going to have enough magic power to go straight into another job?"

Juvia nodded, smiling as she did.

"Juvia doesn't use that much magic power allowing people to breathe underwater. She had enough rest on the journey back to Magnolia, anyway."

Lisanna nodded, happy that her friend wasn't going to be too put out. She had gone on many back to back missions with her siblings back before she was taken to Edolas, and it always took it out of her.

They carried on talking about everything and nothing until they got to the docks. Juvia looked around, shielding the sun from her eyes, trying to spot the Sieth mage they were looking for.

"Can Lisanna-chan see him? Juvia can't see him and he doesn't exactly blend in well"

Lisanna sighed, putting down her bag so she could transform into a bird and get a good vantage point in the air. The docks weren't super crowded, but a view from the air would help spot the man. And like Juvia said, he wasn't good at camouflaging with the ordinary people of Magnolia.

* * *

Juvia was the first one to come across a clue to where Bickslow was. One of his small dolls floated alongside her and surprised her as she was looking the other way.

"Drip Drip Drop! Drip Drip Drop!"

Juvia span around to see one of the totems, the one with a large grin, spinning around next to her. Juvia held her hand out for it to land, but it simply zoomed around her and continued to talk.

"Follow! Follow!"

Juvia looked around to try and see where Bickslow was controlling the doll from, but to no avail. The small doll just kept flying around her, repeating "Follow", before trying to bump into her. It flew straight through her body, before stopping in surprise, giggling and doing it again and again.

Juvia giggled at the happiness the doll was experiencing, before realising that she had a job to get doing, so she grabbed the doll and spoke directly to it.

"Juvia is glad we are having fun, but we need to find Bickslow. Juvia will let you play more later."

The doll tilted in a way that made Juvia think that it was cocking his head, before spinning around in circles again.

"Papa? Drip Drip Drop! Follow! Follow!"

Juvia scrambled to pick up Lisanna's bag, before following the small doll through the crowd. Everyone seemed to part for them, and Juvia could see why. If you didn't know the dolls they could sure be creepy. They had been around the guild enough for her to realise they were pretty funny, especially when they drove Freed and Evergreen angrier and angrier.

The doll led her to a ship that was docked next to one of the piers and flew over the gang plank. Juvia couldn't see much over the high sides, but the doll flew back and told her once again to follow.

"Juvia can't follow you. This isn't her ship."

The doll bounced up and down, flying around in circles.

"Papa! Papa ship! Papa high! Up! Up!"

Juvia wrung her hands, trying to figure out how to explain to the doll why she couldn't just fly up to where it thought Bickslow was. The doll sat itself on the ground next to her, staying still and for a second Juvia thought something had happened to it before it spoke again.

"Help Drip Drip Drop up!"

Juvia looked at the doll, wondering how she would be able to balance on top of the thing. She needed to make sure that she didn't understand.

"You want Juvia to stand on you, so you can take her to Bickslow?"

The doll rocked slightly on the ground, repeating her words.

"Juvia stand! Papa! Up!"

Juvia swallowed her anticipation, before grabbing both of the bags and stepping onto the doll.

* * *

Lisanna had not been up in the air for long before she heard something talking to her from behind.

"Tweet Tweet! Birdy! Pretty birdy!"

She hovered in the air, before looking around to see one of Bickslow's dolls floating next to her. It had big wide eyes, and generally looked surprised, and Lisanna recognised it as Puppu. She had spent some time learning all of their names as soon as she found out that they had them, they were part of the guild after all and she just found it to be polite. The doll flew closer to her and bounced up and down in the air.

"Birdy! Follow! Find Papa!"

Lisanna moved closer to the doll as it flew away, turning around occasionally so that it could make sure that he was being followed. Lisanna flew over the crowd, keeping a close eye on the doll until it led her to a ship. She was confused for a second, until she noticed Bickslow perched on the mast, waving to her like a maniac.

"Lisanna! You came!"

Lisanna grinned at how excited the Sieth mage was, before perching next to him.

"Erm, Bickslow, who's boat is this?"

The man shrugged, before allowing the doll to float down onto his head. He patted it's top, before sending it off flying again, Lisanna assumed to find Juvia.

"Why are you sat on a random person's boat?"

The man turned to look at her, sticking his tongue out to reveal his guild mark as he did.

"I needed to find somewhere easy for the babies to remember. Otherwise, they might get lost."

"Don't you control them?"

Bickslow just shrugged, before spinning around the centre mast to rest on the other side. Lisanna didn't think she had ever seen him sit still, and this was no exception.

"Are you all ready for our job then, little birdy?"

Lisanna blushed at the nickname, but simply nodded her head. Against all expectations, she was really looking forward to going on a job with Bickslow. Ever since she had seen him fight seriously on Tenrou Island, she had been fascinated by his magic and wanted to know more. She was about to reply when she was interrupted by Juvia arriving on another one of the dolls, with three more around her keeping balance. The last doll zoomed up to Bickslow, landing back on his head as they all chanted together.

"Drip Drip Drop!"

Bickslow laughed out loud, the creepy laugh that Lisanna had come to know since she got back from Edolas. Juvia giggled as well but quickly grabbed onto some of the dolls for support. Bickslow looked over at the bags that they had packed, before laughing to himself.

"Why have you brought so much stuff? I told you we would be back by nightfall."

Lisanna scoffed, flying over to take her suitcase from Juvia's hand, making it easier for the Water mage to balance.

"I like to prepare for the worse. What are you gonna do if we need to stay somewhere overnight? Sleep in those?"

Bickslow grinned again, allowing his tongue to loll out. He walked along the top of the sail until he got to the end, arms flung out to either side for balance, before he spun and looked at Juvia.

"Would you be able to make an air bubble around me and the babies? They warp a bit when they're wet so I try to avoid it."

Juvia looked down at the doll she was standing on, still wet from where it had been flying through her earlier. She blushed slightly, before deciding not to mention it.

"Juvia need someone to hold her up while she does it. Would Bickslow mind carrying our bags through the water?"

Bickslow nodded before the totems flew Juvia over closer to him. Lisanna sensed what she needed to do, and after handing Bickslow her bag, she grabbed onto Juvia to allow the wooden dolls to fly close to Bickslow. Juvia constructed a bubble of water around him and their luggage, before instructing to Bickslow that she would be able to move him through the water for higher speed. She was halfway through the explanation when they heard a shout from down below.

"Hey! What are you guys doing up there?!"

Bickslow looked down to the sailor beneath him and laughed when he started to climb up towards them. He looked towards the two women and shouted in excitement.

"That's our cue to leave, ladies. Let's Go!"

With that, Bickslow jumped off the mast, flipping three times before he hit the water. Juvia sighed, and Lisanna lowered them both into the water, transforming just before she hit the surface. At least this job wasn't going to be boring.

* * *

 **A/N - Isn't this the second new fic you have uploaded today? Yes. Yes it is. This is the long awaited (by a couple of people, at least) companion fic to Iron and Paper focusing on Bixanna. Many thanks to my wonderful friend Gajeelswoman for beta'ing this for me, and just being a general awesome person to bounce ideas off. Go check out her fic if you haven't already!**

 **Some answers to questions you may have:  
Is Iron and Paper finishing? No, it isn't. It's still going to be released every Sunday for a considerable time yet. Trust me, it isn't ending soon.  
Is this going to be released regularly? Maybe. Maybe not. I don't have a set schedule for this one, but I am hoping to release it weekly like Iron and Paper once I get more organised. Going forward the chapters won't be as long, but should hopefully be regular.**

 **Anyway, as always, let me know what you think. Did you love it? Did you hate it? Do you not care either way?**


	2. Chapter 2

Juvia was slower than she usually was through the water, as she had to trail Bickslow in front of her the whole way. His babies were spinning around in the air that she provided, excited about the new situation they found himself in. Bickslow cackled along with them, before turning himself around so he could talk to the mages behind him.

"Is this wall solid, or can they break through it?"

Juvia's voice echoed through the water, sounding a lot louder than it had when they were in the air.

"This one they can get out of if they hit it hard enough. Juvia would not want to test it."

Bickslow sighed, before all of his babies came closer to his head, and simply spun around faster. Bickslow didn't seem to mind, and he went back to spinning himself around in the bubble.

Lisanna had to slow herself down in order to keep level with Juvia. She smiled at both the Totems and Bickslow. They always seemed to have a lot more fun with the smallest of activities. As she swam closer, Pappa spotted her and swam close the edge of its bubble.

"Lissy Fishy!"

Lisanna blushed, but Bickslow simply laughed. He made his way over to the edge alongside his totem and stared at Lisanna.

"I like that. You're Lissy now."

Lisanna's blush deepened, and she sped up so they couldn't see her anymore. Maybe they had more fun, but some of it was at the expense of her, it seemed.

* * *

Lisanna could tell that they were getting closer to the island by the seabed slowly sloping upwards. She had been following Juvia most of the way, but now she surged forward, swimming as far up the beach as she could before transforming back into her human form. She emerged from the water, wringing her hair out as she did. How she wished she could figure out a way to travel through the ocean without having to deal with the majority of her clothes being wet for the rest of the day.

Juvia rose from out of the water, before dropping Bickslow onto the sand. His babies immediately started zooming around the three of them, and Bickslow himself stretched out his muscles.

"Babies, that's the best way to travel, right? You guys don't get wet or tired cause you're carrying me. We don't have Laxus throwing up, or Evergreen moaning that she has to walk. We should employ Juvia full time!"

"Full time! Full time!"

Juvia blushed, turning away from the man so he couldn't see her embarrassment. Bickslow didn't seem to even be paying attention, though, and he started to sprint towards the top of the beach.

"Come on, guys! Let's go! No time to waste!"

Lisanna and Juvia both looked at each other, before running after him. He still had both of their bags, but it didn't seem to weigh him down. He continued sprinting down small country lanes, before slowing down as soon as the town came over the horizon. He came to a halt at the side of the road and dropped both of the girl's bags onto the floor. They had just about levelled with him as he was rifling around inside of his cape and pulled out a small scrap of fabric from deep inside the folds. As he shook it out, Lisanna could see that it was a large sack, which he held out in front of him as he addressed the dolls that were spinning around his head.

"Come on, babies! Time to go to sleep for a bit!"

The dolls all visibly saddened, flying over to Bickslow, but instead of going into the bag they settled on his head and shoulders and whined their protests to him.

"No sleep, Papa!"

"Not sleepy!"

"Play time, Papa!"

Bickslow sighed. He really did hate forcing his babies to go to sleep, but it was for the best. And plus, he knew how to bribe them to come around.

"Come on Babies, it won't be for long. Then we can go to the park tomorrow, yeah? We haven't been to the park for a while!"

The babies all groaned again, before slowly flying into the bag. Once they were all in, Bickslow waved a hand over the top and Lisanna could see his eyes flashing green through his visor. After a deep sigh, he tied up the top of the bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"Why have you put them to sleep?" Lisanna asked as he started to move off again, and she hurried to keep up with his large strides. Bickslow simply shrugged, and his facial expression was almost impossible to read under his visor.

"They can put people off. I tend to let them go to sleep if I don't need them for the job. They make a big show about not wanting to go to sleep, but they don't really remember it. They'll be back to normal as soon as I wake them up."

Lisanna nodded, understanding why some people might find the little dolls disturbing. She sure did before she really got to know them. She was about to ask another question when Juvia's voice sounded from next to them.

"Do they dream?"

Bickslow slowed down his stride and looked deep in thought. He adjusted his bag on his shoulder before speeding back up, forcing the girls to almost break into a jog.

"Huh. I don't actually know. I'll ask them as soon as they get up."

Lisanna and Juvia exchanged a look. They assumed that Bickslow knew everything that the dolls knew and vice versa. Lisanna shrugged. It probably wasn't best to ask just before a job.

* * *

Bickslow slowed as they got into the town proper, and turned to Juvia for help.

"You've been here before. Where are we looking for?"

Juvia grasped her hands in front of her, embarrassed at having everyone's attention on her. Of course, she had memorised the address as well as the other two, and she had been to the island many times before. As she started to work her way through the streets, she periodically checked behind her to make sure that her two new teammates were following.

* * *

The house that Juvia lead them to was modest, crammed in between a row of identical houses on either side. Bickslow adjusted his cape, before walking forward to knock on the door.

The woman who answered was young, not much older than Lisanna. Although her hair was styled perfectly, and her clothes neatly ironed, the pale skin and large bags under her eyes gave away just how exhausted she was. She looked confused for a second before Bickslow stuck out his tongue and addressed her.

"We're the mages from Fairy Tail. I believe you put out a request?"

* * *

 **A/N - So, I am going to try to get this out every week. It may slow later because I don't want it overtaking Iron and Paper, but I hope that doesn't happen!**

 **Thank you all for your reviews, keep them coming! 3**


	3. Chapter 3

The difference between Bickslow at the guild and Bickslow on a job was phenomenal. His attire definitely stood out while they sat around the young woman's dining table as she brought them tea and tiny cupcakes. Lisanna and Juvia each chose one of the tiny cakes, and Bickslow politely declined. Instead, he spoke quietly with the woman, trying to calm down her nerves which were being made apparent by her hands shaking slightly.

They had learned that her name was Addie, and she worked as a secretary for the major of the small island. She had just been heading out to work when they had arrived, and she excused herself to call her employer to inform him she would not be able to make it to work that day. As soon as she had left the room, both girls turned to look at Bickslow in confusion.

"Who are you and what have you done with Bickslow?" Lisanna asked, poking at his arm to add to the effect. The man looked down at her, sticking out his tongue before poking her back.

"I've found that being professional on jobs makes people trust me more, don't you? Now, have you got a notepad and pen in that massive bag of yours? I could do with jotting some things down."

Lisanna looked at him in annoyance, before zipping open her bag and pulling out a small notepad that she always took on jobs, and a bright pink pen. He was about to take it before Lisanna jerked it just out of her reach.

"If you needed these, why did you not bother bringing one?"

Bickslow reached forwards, grabbing onto her arm gently before pulling it forward so he could snatch what he needed. Opening it up, he found an empty page and set it on the table ready for Addie to come back in.

"But, I knew that one of you guys would bring one along. Therefore, I saved space by not bringing one. You didn't have one, no big deal. This just makes me look slightly more professional."

Lisanna opened her mouth to protest, before closing it again when the client walked back in. The woman retook her chair across the table from Bickslow, and picked up her cup to take a sip. Bickslow picked up his notepad and began to ask her questions.

"So you're saying that your house is being haunted?"

The woman nodded, looking even paler than she had before. Lisanna had seen this in the past, many people started to get more nervous once they actually had to face the issues they were having and describe it to any of the various Wizards of Fairy Tail.

"For the past six months. I moved into the house, and after a few days things started moving, you know? Started off pretty tame, with cups moving from cupboard to cupboard, things moving from the windowsill to the mantelpiece, things like that. And then it got worse. My possessions kept getting smashed, and then whenever I tried to look in the mirror the mirror would warp and show me my face melting, or my skin slowly turning black. That's when I phoned you guys. I had heard that Fairy Tail had a wizard that did exorcisms for a hobby, and thought you might be able to help."

Both Juvia and Lisanna looked at Bickslow. As far as they were aware Bickslow did exorcisms most weeks, it was his main form of income and so much more than a "hobby". A hobby would suggest something that he wasn't as proficient in, not something his magic was pretty much perfect for.

"And you think it was the wizard that lived here before?"

The woman nodded, standing and moving over to one of her kitchen cupboards. She reached up and pulled out a box. Bringing it back to the table, she placed it down before opening it up and pulling out an old picture. She passed it over to Bickslow, who looked to see and an old man with a grumpy face staring back at him.

"I got this from my next door neighbour. They said his name was Caspian, and he practised Animal Takeover magic, I assume that's why you're here?"

She nodded at Lisanna, who smiled back politely. She wasn't anticipating that she would be much help, but if Bickslow thought she could add value to the job then she wasn't about to argue with him. The man in question closed his notebook, and before it closed Lisanna could see it was full of nonsensical scribbles. Of course, he hadn't actually written anything.

"Okay. I am going to need a possession of his to make this easier, and an empty jar if you have one."

The woman nodded, and pulled a small cross necklace from out of the box and passed it over to the Sieth mage, before moving to another cupboard, pulling out a glass jar and providing him with that as well. She looked nervous, shifting from one foot to the other and glancing occasionally to the door at the back of her house. Bickslow smiled at her, a much politer smile than he normally smiled around the guild and was obviously meant to assuage the nerves of the young woman in front of her.

"If you didn't mind, it might be both easier and safer to have as few people here as possible. I'm not expecting it to go badly, but if it does the fewer people I gotta get out the better."

The woman looked visibly relieved and went to move towards the door. Juvia stood as well, addressing the Sieth mage directly.

"Juvia is going to leave as well, to make sure that Addie-san is OK. Plus she hasn't been to this island in a while, it will be nice to see what had changed."

* * *

Lisanna waved to her friend as both her and Addie left, before turning around to Bickslow. He was stood at the sink, filling the jar with water and generally making sure not to look at the Takeover mage.

"So… you couldn't have brought a jar with you?"

Bickslow turned to her, sticking his tongue out as he did. Yup, he was definitely back to the Bickslow that she knew. He walked back over to the table, placed the jar in the middle and leant down to grab his bag.

"Literally everyone has an empty jar, Lisanna. It is almost as if you are not getting the concept of travelling light."

Lisanna huffed as Bickslow opened up his bag, and with a shine from behind his mask his dolls sprung into life and started flying around him excitedly.

"Papa! Time to play Papa?"

Bickslow shook his head, reaching up to pull his mask off his face and set it down on the table. As soon as it was off, he shook his hair free and ran his fingers through it to make sure it was still styled.

"Not yet, babies. We're on a job. Thought you'd like some time awake while I exorcise this spirit."

The totems all chirruped, and Lisanna smiled at how adorable they were. She hadn't ever seen it before, but the last few hours spent with them had cemented it in her mind. She looked up at Bickslow, who was busying himself with the box that Addie had left, looking through what was left inside.

"Bickslow, can I ask you a question?"

"You already did, Lissy. Left it a bit late before asking me, don't you think?"

Lisanna sighed, as all five of his babies giggled simultaneously. Definitely back to normal Bickslow. He finally chose the small cross necklace and dropped it into the jar in front of him.

"Why did you tell her it was a hobby? Isn't your magic practically made for this type of work."

Bickslow sighed, looking up at Lisanna and rubbing his eyes.

"My magic's kind of illegal. Master doesn't let me tell anyone what it is, that's why the babies always go to sleep whenever we're around anyone not in the guild. Official records say that I'm a telepathy mage, which answers why they move around if someone sees them questions it. That's why I wear a full mask too."

At this point he tapped the tattoo in the centre of his face, scowling as he did.

"This is the mark of my magic. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to be born with a magic which makes you an illegal weapon? I mean, did you not wonder why I didn't compete in the Grand Magic Games? You know I could have walked in there and beaten anyone they threw at me, but I couldn't let the council know who I was."

Lisanna stared at Bickslow. She had no idea that his magic wasn't strictly legal, or that he had faced such struggle before due to his magic. She sat silently, unsure what to say. Bickslow sighed again, before picking up his mask.

"Sorry, had a bad day today." His tongue lolled out of his mouth, and Lisanna knew that she wasn't getting any more information out of him. He walked over and offered her the mask.

"Here, put this on. I should be able to control my eyes, but it's better to be safe right? Plus, I really don't feel like getting murdered by your siblings anytime soon."

Lisanna smiled. Sometimes it seemed she was the only one not terrified of her siblings. She took the mask that Bickslow had offered her and slipped it onto her face. It took a while to adjust to looking through it, but Bickslow just grinned and sat back down.

"Suits you. Ready to begin?"


	4. Chapter 4

Lisanna watched through the slits of Bickslows masks as he scribbled quickly on the piece of paper she provided him. She was so tempted to make another jab at what he would have done if she hadn't brought one along but knew he would just have a snarky answer. She had never noticed he was left-handed before, and she watched in fascination as he formed lines and circles on the paper. His babies flew around both of them, most definitely more subdued than they had been earlier.

"What's that for?"

Bickslow stopped, and Lisanna was scared she had disturbed him from his work. She held her breath for a second before he grinned and his eyes lit up in excitement.

"I'm writing a spell to draw in any non-living souls. It'll force this guy to come and talk to us."

Lisanna nodded, smiling as one of his dolls came to perch on her head. It had a lot more weight than she ever would have thought, and she made sure to stay perfectly still so she didn't dislodge it.

"Won't it hurt these little guys?"

The babied perked up from hearing themselves being mentioned and flew over to Lisanna.

"Lissy! Lissy!"

"Lissy is papa now!"

Lisanna giggled and held out one of her hands for Pappa to land on. As soon as he landed, Peppe landed on top of him and she felt the remaining two babies land on top of the one on her head.

Bickslow looked at his babies incredulously, before returning to his spell.

"These guys are too tightly bound to their bodies to be summoned by it. Yeah, I can transfer them between bodies if I want, but these are the ones they're most solidly attached to. You wouldn't see me trying this if they were in a temporary body."

Lisanna wanted to nod, but she was too scared of making the babies fall off their perch on her head. Bickslow went back to his drawing, shaking the pen a couple of times to make sure that the ink was flowing smoothly.

"Did you have to bring a pink pen? In the words of your brother, 'IT IS NOT MANLY'"

Bickslow's impression of Elfman made Lisanna giggle, and the babies wobbled dangerously. She made sure to return to staying still, and they readjusted themselves so they were solidly on their seats.

"You know Bickslow, you wouldn't have to worry about that if you have brought your own materials. Materials that you needed to use. For the job you were coming on."

Bickslow opened and closed his mouth for a second, before going back to his work ignoring her entirely. The dolls started giggling and whispering in between themselves.

"Lissy is funny!"

"Yeah! Papa is silly!"

Lisanna grinned at them, falling even more in love with the little totems the more time she spent with them. They really were adorable, just like little kids in the way they teased their friend.

"Alright babies." Bickslow moaned, looking up and narrowing his eyes at them. "No need to rub it in. Remember who feeds you."

Lisanna looked confused as Bickslow finished up his spell. She didn't think that they needed to eat before, but then again she was learning more things about them every day.

"Do these guys actually eat?"

Bickslow shrugged, moving the paper into the middle of the table before placing the jar on top of it. Grabbing the necklace that Addie had given him, he gently lowered it into the glass. It clinked against the side, before settling at the bottom. He indicated for his babies to move over to him, and they stacked themselves on the table with practiced ease.

"Eh, you know, it's a figure of speech. Right, now I have been told that this gets a bit spooky so consider this fair warning. Oh, and I kinda need concentration so please don't go stripping over there."

Lisanna was about to protest to his comment, but instead, she decided to stay silent and watch Bickslow prepare for the ritual. He pulled his chair closer to the table and sat back in his chair so he could lean against its high back. Closing his eyes, he moved his hands over the jar and started to speak under his breath.

* * *

Lisanna watched in fascination as the babies began to rise off the table, and lazily make their way around his head. Their eyes had started to glow green, and suddenly Lisanna could see why people found them creepy; the difference in them had been like a switch and they didn't even seem like themselves anymore. The entire room began to darken as Bickslow muttered words that she couldn't make out under his breath. The darker the surroundings got the more brightly the babies glowed, and Lisanna could see that it wasn't just coming from their eyes, but from the centre of their body. Their flying slowed until they were barely moving at all, and forced Lisanna to notice that Bickslow had stopped moving completely. He looked like Evergreen had turned him to stone, and Lisanna realised that she had never seen him so still before. She began to lean forward in her chair for a closer look when his eyes shot open.

The entirety of his eyes had turned green, and they lit up the room. Lisanna shot back again, but it didn't seem to break him from his trance. His eyes glowed brighter, and before she could speak a word his mouth opened and he began to speak.

His voice was deeper than Lisanna had ever heard it, and the usual sing-song quality of his voice had all but disappeared.

"Caspian? Can you hear me?"

The air between them started to shimmer and swirl, before forming a twisting ball of colour. It groaned aloud, and Lisanna shrank back in her chair.

"What the fuck do you want, you bastard?"

Lisanna shivered at the voice. It seemed to cut right through her mind, and she had to resist the urge to cover her ears. The only thing that prevented her was the thought that it wouldn't actually help her at all.

"I'm here to help you. I want to put you to peace."

Bickslow's voice was almost music to her ears. It calmed her nerves from where the ghost had carved a path through her skull. Despite it being so different from his normal jokey tone, the familiar timbre made her feel safe.

The air in front of her scoffed before it moved towards Bickslow. The Seith mage didn't move, and Lisanna wondered if he could even see through the way his eyes glowed.

"You want to make me one of your weak fucking slaves? Look at these pathetic things. Can't even think for themselves."

The babies didn't seem to pay attention, they still just hovered in a circle around Bickslow's head. Lisanna silently wondered whether they were lending him their power, and she made a note to ask him as soon as he had finished with his ritual.

"My souls stay because they want to stay. I do not want you to fight for me. I want to help you find peace."

The spiral laughed, starting to spin faster and faster. It moved around all of the babies, bumping into each one of them in turn, before once again returning to the front of Bickslow's face. None of them reacted at all.

"What makes you think I want to find peace? I'm enjoying this existence. I like pretty ladies. Speaking of which…"

Lisanna was frozen in place as the spiral moved over to her. It hovered right in front of her face, and she stared into the centre of it.

"So weak… So helpless…"

The spiral separated, and a few seconds later Lisanna felt it tugging at her clothes, starting to pull the fabric over her head. She snapped out of her fear and started to pull it back down, but it was too late.

The entire room flashed green, so bright Lisanna had to close her eyes against it despite being partially shielded by Bickslow's mask. When she opened them again, the spinning tornado had disappeared, and Bickslow was back to normal. Moving her eyes down to the table, she could see the water in the jar had turned into a deep purple. It was swirling in the same way that the spirit had previously, and Bickslow was left gasping for breath.

* * *

"You could do that the whole time?"

Bickslow nodded. The babies were back to normal, and they flew straight back over to Lisanna as if they could sense her discomfort. They didn't land on her this time, instead spinning around her head in circles, occasionally bumping into her to make sure she was okay.

"Why didn't you stop him when he was offending you and the babies?"

Bickslow stood up, securing the lid of the jar onto the glass. He made sure it wasn't going to fall off, before collapsing back down onto the chair and looking straight at Lisanna.

"Me and the babies are used to it. We deal with these people all the time. I like to try and give them a chance, to talk them down. But attacking you? That I can't allow. There's no coming back from that."

Lisanna held her hands in her lap and refused to look into Bickslow's eyes. They were still flicking from red to green, and even though she knew that she was safe through the mask, she still felt awkward knowing he had aborted his ritual just for her.

"What's going to happen to him now?"

Bickslow picked up the jar, putting it into his bag before closing his eyes, trying to pull his magic into check.

"I'll release his soul using magic, rather than by setting him at peace a more natural way. He won't feel a thing. He's essentially been killed anyway."

It took a while before Bickslow was confident enough to take his mask back. Lisanna had stayed quiet, and the babies kept themselves entertained by stacking themselves on top of one another on her head. After a while, they would fall down, each burst into giggles and try again.

"Right. Let's get in contact with Juvia and Addie. It should be safe to come back now. Do you have any way of contacting them?"

Lisanna sighed. Of course, he had overlooked that as well.

* * *

 **A/N - I have to admit I am falling in love with this story. I didn't think I could fall more in love with this pairing, but I have. They're just so fun to write and play with!**

 **All of the kudos goes to Gajeelswoman. I would say I'm sorry for getting you obsessed with this crack pairing but, you know... I'm not.**


	5. Chapter 5

"I'm telling you, I have no way of getting in touch with her. I didn't think we'd be separated."

Bickslow was lying on his back on the kitchen floor, mask returned over his face. Lisanna would never admit it out loud, but she missed seeing the whole of his face. She knew that all the girls had been teasing her since she told them she found the man handsome, but she did. But now his mask had been returned, him using the excuse that he was upset and thus his figure eyes were becoming uncontrollable. His babies were scattered on top of his body. They had started off hitting into him and giggling, but after a while, they had picked up on his mood and now they just lay there, occasionally wobbling about.

"How have you got provisions for every single eventuality, but not if we got separated. That's like, the most likely situation we could have come across."

Bickslow sighed again. He had got increasingly bored the longer they spent in Addie's house. After he had filled the entirety of Lisanna's notebook with doodles, he had taken to lying on the floor and occasionally complaining.

"If it was the most likely scenario, why didn't you bring something to help us communicate with each other?"

Bickslow lifted his left arm as if to accentuate a point, before letting it smack back down onto the floor. He sighed again, and his babies all repeated the noise in turn. Lisanna smiled at them still copying their friend, despite them not knowing what they were sighing about. That is, she assumed that they didn't know.

She sat and watched him for a while, as his chest rose and fell under his ridiculous clothes. It was a good job that Juvia had included him in one of her bubbles, as she was sure he would have been drowned under the pure weight of all those clothes.

"Why do you wear such ridiculous clothes, Bickslow?"

The man on the floor flipped over onto his stomach, and the babies all simultaneously and seamlessly adjusted so they were sat on his back. He leant his face on his hands, and Lisanna could sense that he was looking right at her.

"Because I look fucking hot in them obviously. Why are your takeovers so colourful?"

Lisanna giggled at his confidence and slid down to sit cross-legged on the floor so she was closer to his level. She shrugged in response to his answer, playing with one of her shoelaces.

"Most them I acquired when I was 10. I liked bright colours. I could change them, but I feel they're a part of me now."

Bickslow grinned, and his tongue lolled out of his mouth as he did. Two of his babies moved over to sit on her knees and bounced excitedly.

"So… when you turn into an animal, do you become them? Do their minds take yours over?"

Lisanna shook her head. It was someone many people asked, especially seeing the way the beast soul took over her brother's body. But her animal souls had never been as powerful as the souls her siblings took into their bodies, so she had never had that issue.

"No, not really. I gain some things like heightened senses and things like that depending on what animal soul I take over. Why did you want to know?"

Bickslow slumped fully onto his front, pushing his arms out to either side and turning his head to his left so his cheek rested on the ground.

"I thought we were asking questions. Hey. You know that Mira can change into other people?"

Lisanna nodded, before realising that Bickslow wasn't looking at her at all. She made a noise that she hoped Bickslow would realise was affirmative, and waited for the follow-up to his question.

"Can you do that too?"

Lisanna smiled. She could, sure, but tended not to as much as her sister. Mira loved changing into others in the guild, although she had done it much less in recent years. It was also the way she got into gossiping. She had been walking around pretending to be Cana, and someone had come up and told her a secret. Sometimes it amazed her how mature her older sister had gotten since she was taken to Edolas.

She smiled as she thought of an opportunity to entertain Bickslow, and maybe impress him at the same time. She allowed the transformation magic to flow through her body, before nudging him with her foot.

* * *

Bickslow looked up, to see an exact replica of him. Well, almost an exact replica. As he looked closer at the tattoo on the clones face, he noticed something slightly wrong with it.

"The mark isn't black. It's dark blue."

He moved up so he was right in front of Lisanna's face and watched with fascination as the mark lightened so it was the exact colour of his own before the other face grinned and it's tongue lolled out, complete with guild mark.

"That's so creepy. I love it."

Bickslow stared into Lisanna's eyes and saw her soul spin around inside of her body. He smiled as she didn't flinch away from him like so many people had before.

"What?"

Lisanna's voice was perfectly matched to Bickslow's as well. Her tongue returned to her mouth, and she looked perplexed.

The babies were flying around them, each one of them laughing to themselves and muttering occasional comments.

"Papa and Papa!"

"Papa and Bicksy?"

Lisanna giggled at the nickname, a noise that sounded strange coming from his own mouth, and Bickslow just shooed the babies away. He was still transfixed by the way Lisanna hadn't run away yet.

"I was just thinking that I'm kind of handsome, don't you think?"

A blush spread across Lisanna's cheeks, and it made Bickslow grin again. He brought his hand up to her chin and grabbed it firmly. With his spare hand, he pulled his mask off his face so he could look into her eyes without obstruction. She didn't even flinch, and Bickslow focused all his attention on controlling his figure eyes. He slowly moved closer to her face, until he could feel her breath on his skin. She had frozen solid, eyes staring into his with what he thought was curiousity.

"I wonder what it would be like, kissing myself?"

"Eh?!" Lisanna's eyes opened wider, and before Bickslow's eyes, she turned back into herself. Her skin became smoother, and she shrank a few inches. The last things to change were her eyes, which turned back into the baby blue that Bickslow was so used to.

He started laughing hysterically, kneeling back on his heels and letting go of her chin. She was looking at him with a look of pure surprise, and her blush had deepened. The babies were all whistling and giggling along with him, and spinning all around both of their heads.

"Aww, you've ruined it now"

Bickslow returned to laughing, while Lisanna shrank back against the table leg that was propping her up. He sat back cross-legged in front of her, tongue hanging out of his mouth as he did. Lisanna coughed, before looking up at him through her eyelashes.

"Bickslow? You know you can see souls?"

The man nodded, grabbing one of his babies out of the air when it flew right in front of his face and blocked his view. The totem giggled when Bickslow moved it towards the left and landed on top of his head.

"What do my souls look like? When I am using one of my animal souls?"

Bickslow narrowed his eyes at her, and Lisanna braced herself. It was weird, as it felt like he was staring right into her. He nodded to himself before his eyes returned to hers.

"They are all kinda a low-level glow in the background, behind your soul. When you use that takeover form, they take more of an active role, but you're still there. You're still essentially you."

Lisanna smiled, it was interesting to her knowing what all her souls looked like. Most of what she knew about her magic was simply instinct from where she learned it and having this insight ignited her passion for starting learning about her magic again. Could she take more souls into her body? Could Bickslow's and her magics be compatible?

"You want to know anything else?"

Lisanna shook her head. She felt like she had been bothering Bickslow with question after question, and he didn't seem like the type of man who would be fun to be around when he was annoyed. Not that she feared him, but she felt that he would just go silent, and a silent Bickslow wasn't fun. Instead, she went back to playing with her shoelace and waiting for Juvia to return with Addie.

* * *

It had already turned dark by the time the two women got back. Bickslow had been playing hide and seek with the babies, while Lisanna watched on and giggled at their games. Juvia had come in first, making sure that it was safe for Addie to follow behind.

"Has Bickslow-san finished his work?"

Lisanna looked up from where she was sitting and nodded her head. She stood up and walked over to Juvia, as Addie entered the room behind her.

"He's all finished. The ghost isn't going to bother you anymore"

A smile spread over Addie's face, and her face lit up. She ran up to Lisanna, hugging her tightly as she babbled into her ear.

"Thank you so much! I can finally get some rest!"

Lisanna froze as soon as the woman hugged her, but allowed her to let out all her tears. After the woman moved away, Lisanna smiled back at her.

"You're welcome, but I really didn't do much. You need to thank Bickslow."

Lisanna turned around to see Bickslow standing with his bag, knowing that he had quickly hidden the babies inside. He strode over to Addie and took her hand.

"I've managed to capture the lost soul. He shouldn't be bothering you anymore, but if you get any further issues I'll come out to you straight away."

Addie jumped up and hugged Bickslow, as the man wrapped his arms around her back. Lisanna looked over to Juvia and smiled. She always loved the feeling of helping other people out, it was a major part of working in a guild, and she would never get enough of the rush of good emotions that came out of clients finally getting their issues solved. She looked outside at the darkened sky and sighed.

"Looks like we're not getting back tonight. We're gonna need to find a place to stay."

Addie turned around, looking much happier than she had the first time Lisanna had seen her.

"My mother owns the inn in town. I can get you a free stay there for the night and you can leave in the morning. In addition to the advertised payment, of course."

Lisanna was just about to get more details from Addie when Bickslow shook his head.

"Thank you, but we won't need anywhere to stay tonight. We'll be heading home straight away."

Addie opened her mouth to protest, but Juvia got there first.

"Bickslow, we can't make it back tonight. It's far too dark for Juvia to see under the water. It would be too dangerous to go back across the sea."

Bickslow set his jaw firm, and let a breath out from his nose. He looked between the three women before he visibly deflated and gave up without a fight.

"Fine. Please, can you show us the way, Addie?"

* * *

 **A/N - As always, the greatest of thanks to Gajeelswoman for helping me out with these fics. Go check out her stuff if you haven't!**


	6. Chapter 6

The "inn" wasn't really an inn, as such. The three wizards had discovered that it was simply a house owned by Addie's mother, who had outfitted it to host visitors. There were two apartments inside the house, and a small annexe outside that Juvia had claimed as soon as she saw a mural of a snowy landscape covering one of the walls. It reminded her of Gray, she had said, and the other two mages had left her to it.

They had eaten a quick meal in the shared kitchen, courtesy of Addie. The woman had brought them some bread and honey and settled up her payment for the wizards before excusing herself back home. She explained that it had been so long since she had had a full night's sleep that she wanted to enjoy it as soon as possible. Juvia had hugged her goodbye as if she were an old friend, but Lisanna and Bickslow simply shook her hand before she left. She promised to tell people how helpful Fairy Tail had been, and Lisanna grinned at the thought of completing a Fairy Tail mission without a single ounce of destruction.

* * *

Lisanna sat in her room, hugging her knees close to her chest as she spoke to her siblings through the Lacrima. They had been expecting her back tonight, even though she had warned them that it might take longer, and so she had contacted them to tell them. She could hear Bickslow talking to his babies in the room next door, but they were still quiet enough for them not to disturb their conversation.

"So how was it? Learn anything interesting?"

There was a mischievous twinkle in Mira's eye, but Lisanna simply ignored it and Elfman didn't even seem to notice. She could see he was struggling to fit in the frame of the lacrima with his older sister, and it made Lisanna smirk.

"It was great, Mira! I learnt a lot about Bickslow's magic which I never knew before. I would be lying if I said that it wasn't a little creepy, though…"

Elfman laughed, clenching his fist in front of him and laughing.

"Of course it was! That wizard isn't a real man!"

Both of his sisters laughed at his usual exuberance before Lisanna yawned. She tried to cover it up, but Mira jumped on it before she had a chance.

"You're tired, Lis. Get some sleep, we'll see you tomorrow yes?"

Lisanna sat up more, trying to force her eyes open so she didn't look as weary as she felt.

"I'm OK, Mira, honestly. I can stay and talk to you a bit longer if you wanted?"

Her sister looked away from both Elfman and the Lacrima and coughed slightly.

"I have to go and see to some business down at the guild, so you should really get some sleep. You won't be any use in the morning unless you get some rest. You need to be on your best form in case something happens on the way back."

Lisanna sighed, but her sister was right. They weren't out of hot water yet, and knowing life in the Fairy Tail guild, anything could happen in the morning. She said her goodbyes and placed the lacrima back in its holder on the dressing table. After a few minutes, she fell asleep to the sound of Bickslow still arguing with his totems in the next room.

* * *

When Lisanna woke up, she wasn't sure where she was. The room was dark, and there had been a scream from the room next to her. After a moment of panic, she remembered the small Inn which she was making her home for the night and the man who was in the room next to hers.

The scream had died out, but she could still hear occasional moans and the odd knock on the wall that separated both of their bedrooms. She jumped out of bed quickly and instantly transferred into her cat animal soul. If something was attacking them, she needed to have her reflexes and senses as good as possible. As soon as the animal soul took over her eyesight in the dark improved, and she padded her way over to the door. Listening out for any sounds of enemies, she could still just hear a few screams and moans coming from Bickslow's room. He sounded like he was in pain, and she opened her door slowly and made her way stealthily over to his. She pressed her ear up against the door and managed to pick up a few whooshing sounds alongside the repeated knocking noises. She still couldn't hear any sounds of any other humans in the room.

Preparing to fight if she needed to, she opened the door slowly and peeked inside. Bickslow was lying across the bed, seemingly asleep but occasionally thrashing about. He was wearing nothing but his boxers, and Lisanna looked away so as to not seem she was creeping on him. It was less than a second before she realised where all of the whooshing and knocking sounds had come from.

The babies were flying about the room, completely erratically and occasionally knocking into both each other and their surroundings. She stepped into the room, and Pippi immediately nearly knocked into the side of her head. She grabbed him out of the air, but he simply struggled to break free and continued flying on the same random flight path.

"Guys? Guys, you need to calm down."

She still didn't get anything out of them, and she changed back into her normal human form before looking across at Bickslow. The noise didn't seem to be waking him up, and neither did her voice.

"Bickslow? Are you OK?"

Her answer was met with another scream, louder this time, and the man thrashed around on the bed again as the dolls seemed to speed up. She looked around the room for something to help her out before her eyes lay on the Lacrima still sitting on his cabinet. She made her way over there, ducking underneath a few attacks from the dolls and called the first person who came to her mind. When she didn't pick up, Lisanna tried her second bet.

"Lisanna?"

Her brother looked as if he had just woken up, and rubbed his eyes. He blinked a few times in the light of the screen, and Lisanna launched into her story.

"Thank goodness you answered, Elf. I need some help."

Her brother's exhaustion disappeared almost instantly, and the movement of the lacrima made Lisanna think he had shot up in bed.

"What's wrong? Are you ok?"

Lisanna held her hands up in front of her in an attempt to get him to calm down. She admitted it had been a bad choice of words, and she tried to placate him.

"I'm fine. It's not me, it's Bickslow."

Elfman growled at the mention of the man's name, and Lisanna saw him push off his covers in an attempt to get out of bed.

"What's that bastard done!? If he's touched you I'll kill him."

Lisanna wanted to sigh. She would never get over how protective her older siblings were, but she didn't have time to argue with him right now.

"He hasn't done anything. I just woke up because he was screaming, and his dolls are going insane! I don't know what to…"

"He's having a night terror."

The voice that came through the Lacrima wasn't her brothers, but it was familiar.

"Evergreen?"

The lacrima moved from her brother's hands, and the brown-haired woman entered the screen instead. She didn't have her glasses on, and from what Lisanna could see she was naked. Evergreen pulled up the bedsheets so she was fully covered, and looked into the Lacrima. Her eyes flickered occasionally, and suddenly Lisanna was glad they were talking through the device and not face to face.

"He has night terrors. You need to play with his hair, it will calm him down. The dolls will stop flying around and he'll go back to sleep properly."

* * *

Lisanna nodded as Poppo flew between her and the Lacrima and after thanking Evergreen for the advice, and after apologising for interrupting their sleep, she made her way over to where Bickslow was lay.

He had thrown the covers off the bed and was clutching onto the sheets with both of his fists. His muscles were tensing and relaxing almost as randomly as his totems were flying around and his mouth was moving in silent words. She sat herself down on the bed next to him, making sure to settle in between his outstretched arm and his torso. His face was creased up in a weird mixture of pain and terror, and Lisanna couldn't help but notice he had bitten his lip at some time in the night and the blood was drying on his chin.

She leant on her right arm and brought her left hand up to run through his hair. It was in complete disarray, not gelled up like it usually was, and absolutely drenched in sweat. She wasn't sure what she was doing so she allowed her instincts to take over and twisted her fingers through the strands of his hair. It was softer than she thought it would be, and she allowed it to run through her hands as she moved them back and forth.

Just when she thought she was going to have to call Evergreen again, Bickslow started to calm. His face relaxed, and the totems slowed down in their rambling through the air. Lisanna adjusted her position, before pulling Bickslow's head up onto her lap so she could use both hands. She wove tiny little plaits into his hair before pulling them apart again and massaging over the shaved parts of his head before going back to plaiting.

The babies soon lost all of their energy and descended out of the air until they all rested on the floor. Bickslow's face had relaxed completely, and his breathing had become more regular. Lisanna sat there for a little longer until her eyes began to droop and she knew that she would need to go back to her own room. She made sure not to disturb the Sieth mage as she moved his head back onto the bed, and went to stand up. She took two steps away from the bed before a hand grabbed her arm, making her jump in shock.

Turning around she could see Bickslow staring up at her, eyes bright green and lighting up the room from their own glow. Lisanna felt something tug on the very essence of herself and realised with panic that Bickslow had taken control of her soul. She started to struggle against it, but before she could make any headway Bickslow had thrown his other arm over his face and the connection was broken.

"Lisanna… I… I'm sorry."

Lisanna didn't move, just stayed staring at the man on the bed. He looked so vulnerable, and she could see his breathing become heavier as he gripped tighter onto her wrist.

"It's ok, Bickslow. It wasn't your fault."

Bickslow made a noise that, if Lisanna hadn't known any better, she would have sworn it was a sob. He tugged on her wrist gently and Lisanna took a step back towards the bed.

"Just… Please. Please don't leave me. I don't want to be alone."

Lisanna swallowed the last of her fear and sat back down on the bed. As soon as he felt the weight, Bickslow moved faster than Lisanna could have thought possible of someone so soon after waking up. He wrapped both of his arms around her back and pulled her in close to his chest, wrapping his legs around hers until they were fully entangled, making her acutely aware of the fact she was wearing nothing more than a tank top and her pyjama shorts. He buried his face into her neck, and she froze.

"Lisanna?"

His mouth moved on her neck and tickled her skin. She let out a breath and replied, not wanting to speak in anything louder than a whisper.

"Yes, Bickslow?"

The man in front of her sighed, and Lisanna knew that he was slipping back into sleep.

"You have the most beautiful soul that I have ever seen."


	7. Chapter 7

Bickslow groaned as he woke up. Not from the act of waking up itself, but because he realised there was a body wrapped up in his arms. Not that this had never happened before, he had woken up with a random woman in his bed more times than he could count, but just that it was always incredibly awkward when it did.

He opened his eyes, only to get immediately blinded by a bright white light that assaulted his irises. Screwing them shut again, he took a second to think. It wasn't late enough and the bed was positioned wrong for it to be the sunlight, which meant it must have been a soul. He made a concentrated effort to turn down his soul sight and opened his eyes again.

The soul in front of him was the most brilliant white, with baby blue streams swirling through it occasionally. One look at that soul and he knew immediately who it was. Lisanna was lying next to him, curled up with her back against his torso. His right arm was wrapped around her stomach, while his left was curled under her head. Her soul pulses slightly, telling Bickslow that she was happy with her situation. But not only that.

He had seen it happening for the last couple of months. It started off as a slight curiosity, and it took Bickslow a period of intensely watching the girl to discern what it was. The smallest of green lines had appeared underneath her blue swirls, and Bickslow had to get closer to her a couple of times to see it closer. It had grown slowly into what some would call a crush, and then it grew into something more as the line got thicker and thicker. She had definitely had a thing for him yesterday, but something had happened since he last saw her which made her fall into full blown love. The bright green line was as thick as her own blue one.

He looked down at his own soul, at the storm of black, red and dark green which had been a part of him for as long as he remembered. He needed to flow more energy into his magic to see his own soul, but he saw what he knew would be there as soon as he did. Occasional bursts of colour from his babies souls shone through the darkness, although they didn't stay around for long. A baby blue band had started to swirl within it a long time ago, and now it was beginning to outshine the other colours.

Shit. What the fuck had he done last night?

He wracked his brain through what had happened the night before. They had come back to the inn, and separated to their individual rooms. He had got ready for bed, and gone down to sleep pretty early for him out of sheer boredom. He mentally fast forwarded through the nightmares, fucking typical for him to have them when there was no one around, and then the memory of what had happened hit him like a freight train.

He had taken control of Lisanna after waking up, but she had come to him of her own accord. She hadn't run away. Looking closely at her soul, he could see the last remaining vestiges of his from where he had taken her over and instantly felt guilty. He remembered breaking the connection, and then panicking for a moment before she had walked forward of her own accord and getting into bed with him. He winced as he remembered his final words to her before he fell asleep.

He was in this too deep. And he was scared that he didn't actually want to escape.

* * *

 _"Papa?"_

Peppe hadn't spoken, as such. It was more a feeling that he got from the doll, transferred through their very souls. Moving his head ever so slowly as to not wake up the girl in his arms, he could see all of his totems littering the bed in front of her. He could see that she was holding Poppo in her arms, and smiled at how she treated them just as well as he did.

 _"Papa did something stupid last night, guys."_

All of his totems span so their faces were looking at him. They didn't technically see through the eyes on the front of their bodies, but people tended to prefer it that way so they had slowly learned. Not that Bickslow minded. Their souls shone through the wood of their bodies anyway.

 _"Lissy?"_

Bickslow smiled, closing his eyes and relaxing into Lisanna's body. She didn't even move, still fast asleep.

 _"Yeah. I'm in bed with Lissy."_

A wave of happiness came from all five of his dolls, and he smiled. It seemed like they liked her just as much as he did. That was more important than anyone else knew. If his babies didn't like a person, Bickslow tended not to like them either.

 _"Lissy pretty"_

Bickslow chuckled at Pippi's statement. She was right. Pippi never had got the hang of lying, or even not saying the thing that was immediately at the front of her mind at any time.

 _"Yeah. Yeah she is, isn't she? Now you guys get out of here. I need some time with Lisanna."_

He got a wave of sadness then, and all of them rose into the air. Poppo gently extracted himself from Lisanna's grip, and they all hovered over the bed. Bickslow didn't turn his head to look at them, not wanting to disturb Lisanna despite the fact that Poppo had managed to separate himself from her arms without her waking.

 _"Papa? Papa cross?"_

He shook his head almost imperceivably. He hadn't meant to upset them, but they had started to panic in the way they did when they knew they had done something wrong, but didn't understand exactly what.

 _"I'm not cross at you guys. Hey, can you do an important job for me?"_

Their panic changed to excitement as quickly as flicking a switched. He loved the little guys, but they sure were easy to manipulate.

 _"Can you go and find the sea for me? I have forgotten where it is."_

They started flying around, forgetting they were supposed to be quiet so as not to wake the girl that was sleeping in their Papa's bed. Bickslow knew they were getting excited now, and he had to move as quickly as possible.

Sending out a small portion of his own soul, he lifted the window so they could get out, and allowed the dolls to speed outside without even saying goodbye. He couldn't blame them, really. He had made them excited, and they tended not to think when they were excited. He closed the window behind them, making sure it locked before moving his soul over to the lock on the door. He couldn't have Juvia walking in on them.

Recalling the soul fully back into his body, he closed his eyes and buried his face into Lisanna's hair.

* * *

It was soft, and tickled his nose. He moved his hand slowly across her stomach, loving the way her skin felt against his. He cracked one eye open so he could see her soul, and make sure she didn't wake up. It was entirely selfish of him, but he wanted to enjoy this moment as long as possible.

He didn't know how long he lay there, just enjoying the feel of her skin on his. Their legs had tangled together at some point in the night and he didn't dare move them. He had noticed just how little the two of them were wearing, and tried desperately hard to pay attention to anything except the way her arse was rubbing up against his crotch.

He started fidgeting, his ability to stay still had never been great and at this point he had been lying still for just far too long. He noticed her soul start to shift, and knew she was waking up. Swearing under his breath, he desperately tried to stay still, hoping that she would go back to sleep. After a few minutes, Bickslow knew that he had no chance of her going back to sleep and so ever so slowly began to move his left hand through her hair. She adjusted slightly, moaning ever so quietly that as soon as she stopped he couldn't be fully sure as to whether he had imagined it. Bickslow kept moving his hand, playing with her hair until she adjusted her position onto her back. Bickslow seamlessly moved with her, propping himself up on his elbow so he could look down at her.

"Morning, Bickslow."

She opened her eyes, and looked into his. He had known that her eyes were entrancing the first time he saw them, but it was so much better this close up. He leant in closer until he could feel her breath on his skin and stared into her eyes all the way. He waited for the fear to appear in her eyes, and for her to run away, but she never did. Instead a blush covered her cheeks, and somehow made her even more beautiful. His hair flopped in front of his face and he made sure to blow it out of his eyes, making her giggle.

"You know, Lisanna. I was an idiot yesterday."

Her face twisted in confusion, and Bickslow grinned.

"You're an idiot most of the time Bickslow…"

He moved his hand up to her cheek, and let his fingers wrap in her hair. Tilting his head slightly, he touched his nose to hers and closed his eyes.

"It is going to be much better kissing you than it would be to kiss me."

He stayed as still has he possibly could and allowed her to close the gap between them of her own accord. A few seconds later he felt her lips press against his, and he allowed himself to smile. Her lips curled up into a smile as well as his, and it made his deepen. He held there for a few seconds, before Lisanna opened her mouth, and he took it as an invitation to take the kiss deeper.

He wasn't used to kissing gently, it wasn't something he had generally ever done before. But he couldn't rush this with Lisanna, couldn't risk scaring her away. He felt her tongue venture into his mouth and he returned with his. His fingers tangled in her hair, loving the way that it felt against his skin. Her hands were still at the side of her body, too timid to move up onto his body and it made him grin into her mouth.

They continued like that for the next couple of minutes, until Bickslow felt her hand move over her stomach and start to pull up her shirt. He moved his hand from her hair down to hers, and stopped it just before she pulled the fabric over her breasts. She broke away from him, and he could see her eyes looking questioningly up at him. Dropping his head down, he buried his head in her neck, kissing it gently between speaking.

"Not here. Not yet."

Lisanna made a questioning noise, but he ignored it, licking at her skin. It tasted slightly salty from the smallest amount of sweat, and he revelled in it.

"You need to think whether this is what you really want first."

Her hand relaxed beneath his, and he returned his mouth to hers. Placing his hands back either side of her head, he kissed her deeper this time. Her hands moved slowly up over his back, and he could feel her fingers press gently against his skin. They moved up and down his spine, and sent shivers through his body. The touch got heavier, and Bickslow readjusted himself so that he lay on top of her, pressing his weight down on her body as he balanced on his right hand. She shifted slightly, but didn't move to push him off. Her tongue moved over his, and made him smile. Most people freaked out at his tongue, but not her.

His left hand moved to circle around her waist, and she wriggled against him. He cracked open one of his eyes to see her soul glowing brighter and brighter, and the blue and green swirls within it moving more actively than before. He closed his eyes again. The longer he spent here, the deeper into this mess he was falling. But at this moment, he didn't care.

Lisanna broke away again, taking a deep breath. Bickslow looked into her eyes, and grinned. He felt his tongue loll out, and she giggled underneath him, a blush spreading across her face.

"Hi."

She giggled again, the noise becoming more addictive to Bickslow every time he heard it.

"Hey, Bickslow."

Her body moved then, and he was thrown onto his back. She was a lot stronger than she looked, and Bickslow started to laugh at what she had done. Her blush deepened, until he pulled her onto him and kissed her nose.

She moved her hand down over his chest, stopping once she found something she wasn't expecting. Bickslow gulped as she looked down at his chest, and ran her fingers gently over the scar that stretched from his right shoulder to just below his ribs on his left-hand side. She looked up at him questioningly, and he held his breath waiting for the inevitable.

"I didn't know you had a scar here."

Bickslow shrugged. It was an old scar, and unlike the other men he wasn't topless enough for it to be obvious.

"You've never seen me topless this close before. It's been there a while, trust me."

Her fingers stroked down the whole length of the scar, as if she were committing it to memory. He moved his left arm down to her waist, and rested it there while she explored his chest.

"How did you get it?"

Bickslow swallowed, pressing his hand down to pull her down on top of him. She rested her head on his shoulder, fitting there perfectly as if she had been lying there for years.

"It was a battle. About ten years ago now."

He could feel her breath on his skin, and moved his right hand so it wrapped around her waist. He pulled her over until her hips straddled his thighs, before resting his hands on her lower back. She moved seamlessly and without complaint, before resting her head in his neck.

"Did you beat them? The person who gave this to you?"

Bickslow swallowed, and knew that she would be able to feel it. He rubbed his hands slowly up and down her back, before grinning widely and allowing his tongue to loll out.

"Yeah. Hurt him real bad. Stupid idiot can't even remember his own name anymore."

The girl sat up, staring him in the eyes. Her hands moved through his hair, and he revelled in the amazing feeling it gave him.

"Of course you did."

She leaned forward, kissing him on the forehead right where he knew the head of his tattoo was. The simple act alone sent chills down his spine, and his hands grasped onto her waist.

"Fuck, Lisanna. If you get any more adorable I may just have to kill you."

He pulled her down to his face again, kissing her rougher than before. She didn't seem to protest, moving her mouth with his and fisting her fingers in his hair. After a few minutes, she pushed herself up until she was kneeling on his thighs, and Bickslow looked up at her. Her hair had been mussed up and was sticking out from her head in all angles, and her face was read with a mixture of lust and a blush. She was breathing heavily, and fuck she was beautiful.

"Bickslow. What are we doing? What is this?"

He moved his hands from their position on her waist and took hers instead. He clasped them tightly as he looked into her eyes, still not used to the fact she didn't immediately look away.

"Are you enjoying it?"

She nodded slightly, and Bickslow took his opportunity to tug on her arms and force her to fall back on top of him. She squeaked slightly, and he hid his face in her neck, kissing it and biting on it gently.

"Then don't bother trying to define it. Just appreciate it while it happens."

* * *

 **A/N - Some of you may notice this is early. This is because I am at Comicon this weekend (super hype) so I can't upload on Sunday. So here, have this chapter early. I will also try and upload next Monday to make up for it.**


	8. Chapter 8

Juvia walked along the main street of the village, bags of food in either hand. She was enjoying the weather; the sun had come up early and had been shining down on her all day. The village didn't have many shops, but there was a small bakery where she had been able to buy some pastries and some fresh juice for her and her teammates.

"Drip, Drip, Drop."

She looked up at the familiar voice, to see one of Bickslow's dolls hovering in front of her. She was about to speak to it when she felt something fly right through her. Looking down, the doll that had been playing with her yesterday was flying back and forward through her body again, giggling each time.

"Oh no, don't do that. Bickslow-san will be angry with Juvia."

The doll just giggled again and flew straight back through her. She looked around for Bickslow but didn't see him anywhere obvious.

"Where is Bickslow-san?"

The dolls all flew around her, chanting in unison.

"Papa in bed!"

"Lissy in Papa's bed!"

Juvia brought her hand to her mouth and giggled. She had gone into Bickslow's room earlier in the morning to ask if he wanted anything for breakfast, only to find her two teammates curled up in bed together. She had backed out of the room quietly, and decided just to buy enough food for the three of them just in case.

One of the babies bumped into her bag, trying to fit into the handle so it could carry it along.

"Help!"

Juvia leant down, slipping the handle over the dolls head and making sure it was secure before the doll started to fly at the same time as her, heading back towards the inn.

"Helping!"

Juvia giggled again. She would never have thought that the little dolls could be so cute, but they were really growing on her.

"Yes, you're helping Juvia. Thank you!"

The dolls all giggles excitedly and fell into formation around her. She was somewhat glad that there was no one around this time in the morning to notice her, she didn't particularly feel like explaining what they were and where they had come from to anyone who asked.

Back at the inn, she helped the doll place the shopping on the table, before heading upstairs to Bickslow's room. She could hear movement on the other side and knocked gently on the wood.

"Bickslow? Juvia has breakfast downstairs."

She heard a moan on the other side of the door before Bickslow's voice came through clearly.

"Alright. Let me just finish up with Lisanna and we'll be down."

The next voice was unmistakably Lisanna's. In all fairness, Juvia had been surprised that the Sieth mage had admitted to what they had been doing so easily.

"Bickslow!"

The voice was laced with annoyance, but Juvia could detect amusement as well. She giggled, making her way back down into the kitchen. They would make their way down when they were ready.

* * *

Lisanna was laying under Bickslow again and was catching her breath. He towered above her, resting on his elbows, hair loose and flopping over his face forcing him to blow it out of his eyes. His hips were straddling hers, and he had just lifted the majority of his weight off of her. She had tried to wrap her legs around his waist, but he had stopped her ever so gently and pinned them underneath his. She knew that he was aroused, she could feel him pressing against her stomach, but he still refused to take it any further. He was out of breath, and his hair was messed up where she had been moving her fingers through it. He breathed deeply, before grinning down at her.

"What? The babies told her anyway"

Lisanna hid her face in her hands, embarrassed that Juvia had found out so soon. She knew the woman wouldn't go around telling everyone, but it made her blush all the same. Bickslow simply pulled apart her hands as if he wasn't even trying. She looked up at his grinning face, and couldn't bring herself to be worried anymore.

"They told her?"

Bickslow shrugged, lowering her hands and kissing her on her forehead. She smiled shyly and reached up to grab his face and pull him down into another kiss.

"I didn't explicitly tell them not to, so they just told her. They do things like that occasionally."

Without warning, he dropped his whole weight down on her again and covered her mouth with his. She allowed her finger to tangle in his hair, now it wasn't gelled up it was longer than she ever would have thought and when she pulled on it he moaned deep in his throat. After a few seconds, he placed his hands either side of her head and used them to push himself up and flip himself up onto the floor.

Now he was stood up, Lisanna could see all of his muscles move underneath his skin as he walked across to where his clothes were strewn on the floor. He picked up his trousers and started to pull them on before turning back around to look at her.

"Hey, Lissy?"

Lisanna couldn't speak. The enormity of her situation had sunk in. She was lying on Bickslow's bed, hair looking like a mess and clothes creased from where he had been lying on them seconds before. Her voice came out in a breath as she tried to comprehend what she had just done.

"Yes, Bickslow?"

He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to push it back from his face. It was so much fluffier than it was when it was gelled up and Lisanna could see how much it was annoying him.

"Do you have any hair gel with you?"

Lisanna started to chuckle, and Bickslow simply looked at her with annoyance. He pulled his shirt over his head, before bending down to pick up the fabric to wrap around his waist.

"No, Bickslow. And before you ask I don't think Juvia will have any either."

Bickslow huffed, grabbing his belt and slipping it on over his clothes before throwing on his cape.

"Why do you need it anyway? Your hood covers your hair all the time, it's not like anyone would know your hair is down."

He moved back over to the bed, trying to find his mask from where he had taken it off the night before. He still didn't answer her, and she sat up and grabbed his arm. He exhaled slightly, and she reached up to ruffle his hair.

"Plus, I think that it looks fucking hot down like that."

A blush formed across his cheeks, and Lisanna kissed his nose. He stood still for a second, and she jumped out of bed and headed towards the door.

"I'm gonna go and get ready, see you downstairs!"

Her heart was still beating fast as she leant her back against the door and breathed in and out to try and calm her breathing. Covering her face, she ran back into her room and hoped that a shower would help her relax.

* * *

Juvia sat at the dinner table, watching Bickslow's babies flying around the kitchen. She could see as they took in turns flying behind various objects in the room before the others flew around seemingly randomly before they came across their friend and all shrieked in excitement. After watching them for a couple of rounds, she realised that they were playing their own version of hide and seek. She was giggling at their antics when Bickslow whirled past her, bouncing up and spinning around until he handed heavily on the bench. His babies rushed towards him, but he waved his arms to tell them to continue their game while he picked up a pastry and started to stuff it into his mouth.

"Bickslow, there is a seat at the table."

He gave her one of the blankest expressions that she had ever seen. He was especially good at it seeing as the strip of metal covering the top part of his face prevented her from seeing any emotion in his eyes. After a few seconds where she assumed he was looking at her, he changed the topic entirely.

"Let me figure out your payment for the job while we're both here."

One of his babies brought him the bag of jewels he had received from Addie the day before and he opened it up and started to count out the money inside. Juvia squirmed uncomfortably in her seat, before opening her mouth to explain her plan behind coming on the job.

"Juvia would like to request another form of payment, instead of monetary."

Bickslow stopped counting, and his head tilted up towards her. Juvia shrank in her chair as the man grinned and his tongue lolled out of his mouth.

"Wow, Juvia, I'm flattered. You're a beautiful girl, you really are, but you're just not my type."

Juvia pushed both of her hands in front of her, as a blush covered her cheeks. Bickslow laughed one of the boisterous laughs that she had gotten used to. One of his babies, the one that Juvia knew had been flying through her for the last few days had stopped playing the game, and was now hanging around next to her shoulder. Juvia realised that it had stopped flying through her as if it knew that Bickslow would shout at it for getting itself wet. It took to giggling now, and it simply forced Juvia's blush to deepen.

"No, no that's not what Juvia meant! Juvia wanted to ask Bickslow a favour." She shuffled around again, and the totem close to her flew over to land on the man's head as he leant back on his hands to hear what she had to say.

"Juvia wants to ask Bickslow to help out one of her friends. Juvia thought that after the Grand Magic Games that Gajeel-kun would make friends with more of the guild but he is still just as isolated as before. She would like to know if Bickslow will talk to him, and try and help him make more friends?"

Bickslow sat forward again, picking up the coins he had been counting and resumed his task. Juvia sighed, thinking that her plan had fallen through, as Bickslow piled the jewel on top of his totem and sent it over to her.

"Yeah, he seems like a fun guy. I'll talk to him. I won't take your money for it, though."

The totem floated in front of her, but still, she didn't take the money piled on top of it. She could see that it was an exact third of the payment that Bickslow had received, and she didn't feel comfortable taking so much.

"But Bickslow did all of the hard work! Juvia did not help at all!"

Bickslow sighed, and the totem in front of Juvia started to spin in boredom. The jewels moved slightly but still stayed remarkably stable.

"You kept the client out of my hair and calmed her down. That's enough help for you to get your fair share of the reward."

Juvia still shook her head, and Bickslow leant forward onto his elbows and his eyes glinted green behind his mask.

"Look, Juvia. I have more than one way to persuade you. You deserve that reward, and you will take it one way or another."

For a second, Juvia remembered the fear that once coursed through her when she was first told of the magic that Bickslow possessed. She knew deep down that he would not hurt her, but still she took the jewels from the top of the totem and placed them into her pocket.

* * *

Lisanna came down into the kitchen, pulling her bag behind her. Her hair stuck out from all directions, still wet from her shower, and the totems immediately flew towards her.

"LISSY!"

"Lissy wet!"

Lisanna giggled as they all bumped into her, and Juvia gave her a pointed look. The water mage had seen her curled up with the little totems the night before, and Lisanna blushed as she saw the way Juvia looked at her. Juvia started giggling along with the totems and Lisanna paled.

"Please don't tell my sister."

* * *

 **A/N - Bonus chapter for you guys after not having a chapter yesterday. Thanks to everyone for the reviews, they really cheer me up every time I see a new one has been posted!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N - This chapter is the first reason this fic is rated M. You have been warned.**

* * *

The journey back from the mission passed without incident. Juvia kept poking fun at Lisanna and Bickslow, the Sieth mage taking it in his stride and Lisanna just blushed increasingly deeply. Juvia had promised that she would not breathe a word to anyone else in the guild, but that didn't stop her from teasing the takeover mage until they had got back to Magnolia. The three of them walked down the main street of Magnolia, Bickslow running and jumping over every obstacle in his way while the babies flew around their heads. They came up on Fairy Hills, and Bickslow refused to even pass the gate at the bottom of the hill.

"I do not feel like dying today, thank you, girls. I will say goodbye to you here."

Juvia laughed, making her way up the drive. She had heard from a lot of the boys about the horrors of being found by Erza in the dorm rooms. She waved goodbye to the couple before Bickslow leant his right arm on the post above Lisanna's head.

"You not going in?"

Lisanna looked between him and the two dolls that had followed Juvia up the drive, before giggling to herself. She had thought everyone in the guild knew that she and her siblings lived in their own home, but obviously not.

"No, I've never lived in the dorms. Care to walk me the rest of the way home?"

Bickslow grinned, and once again his tongue escaped his mouth. He held out his arm, and she took it in hers. All thoughts of them walking along arm in arm were torn from her mind when he started to sprint down the road, shouting over his shoulder to the two dolls that have followed Juvia.

"Pappa! Pippi! What have I told you about going in there, you're going to get me in trouble! We've got to take Lissy home!"

Lisanna was laughing hard as he dragged her down the road, the babies flying around them getting more and more excited the further they went. Lisanna gasped through both her physical exertion and her laughter but eventually managed to speak.

"Bickslow! This is the wrong way! My house is back that way!"

He stopped within an instant, and Lisanna slammed into the back of him. She started to fall over, but he caught her in one swift movement. His arms snaked around her back, holding her up, and he brought his face close to hers.

"Oh. Show me the way then."

* * *

Lisanna let herself into the house and called out to see if anyone was home. After a few seconds of silence, she dropped her bags onto the floor and turned around to see Bickslow sending his babies away.

"Could you go and get some shortbread from Mira, please? Don't tell her where I am, though. I promise we will go to the park later."

The babies started to spin around in excitement, before shooting off in the direction of the guild hall. As soon as they were gone, Bickslow closed the door behind him and turned around to Lisanna. He was about to speak when she slammed him back against the door and found his mouth with hers. He grabbed her hips, trying to keep her stable as she stumbled on her tiptoes. She deepened the kiss, and her hands were all over his body, tugging at his clothes to try and remove them as quickly as possible. Leaving his hands on her hips, he kissed her back but prevented her from removing any of his clothing. She pulled away from the kiss and pouted up at him.

Her eyes were wide and they were nearly his undoing as she opened her mouth to question his motives.

"What's wrong?"

Bickslow steadied her as she dropped back down to her feet, and grabbed onto his cape just under the fastening.

"You're trying to get me out of my clothes. I like my clothes. I think I look sexy in them."

Lisanna laughed, grabbing his hands and holding them in hers. He struggled against her slightly and half-heartedly, before pouting and resting his chin on the top of her head. She laughed into his chest, before releasing his hands and trying to push his cape off his shoulders.

"But I've seen what you look like underneath and it is so much better."

Bickslow grabbed her around her back, pulling her closer to him. He kissed her gently before turning her around in his arms and pointing her towards the stairs.

"Let's go to your room. Beds are more comfortable than floors."

Bickslow started to move forward, but Lisanna stayed still. He walked straight into the back of her, but still she held firm.

"There's a sofa in there. We don't have much time until your babies come back. Let's stay down here."

Bickslow laughed, and Lisanna knew that his tongue was lolling out of his mouth. He pushed her towards the stairs again, and this time she gave up and started up to the second floor. As they walked, Bickslow explained his logic to her.

"Don't worry. There will be plenty of times where you don't make it to the bed. But for now, the babies won't come back until I go and find them. Even if they manage to make it to Mira, which is unlikely because they get distracted very easily, she will keep them busy until I go to pick them up. It's a little arrangement we have."

Lisanna had led the both of them into a room which was obviously occupied by her. Clothes were scattered around the floor, not to the extent they were around Bickslow's room but there all the same. Her blankets were still pulled down from the last time she had got out of the bed, and Lisanna pushed Bickslow back until he was sat on it.

"You just got my sister to look after your babies while you're in bed with me?"

Bickslow looked at her with a smirk, before shooting forward quickly and grabbing her around her waist, throwing the both of them down on the bed and pinning her underneath him.

"Yeah, I guess I did. I could call them back if you want?"

Lisanna shook her head, looking up at the mask above her. Moving her hands up, she hooked them under the metal and pulled it off his face. His eyes were screwed closed when it passed over them, but he soon opened them up and stared into hers. His hair was fluffy and mussed from its time underneath his hood, and she reached her hands up to run her fingers through the strands. Pulling his head down, she began to kiss him again. His body dropped on top of her, and the weight was strangely comforting as she moved her legs around, attempting to wrap them over his hips. Bickslow froze for a second before Lisanna pulled away and looked him in the eyes.

"I've thought about it. I can't explain how, I can't explain why, but I know want it to be you."

Bickslow sighed and pressed his forehead to hers before relenting and allowing her to wrap her legs around his. He kissed her again, slightly harder than before and she struggled to unclasp the cape that covered the both of them. As soon as it was off, she moved to his gauntlets and dropped them to the floor as well.

Bickslow dropped his mouth down to her throat and started to kiss the join between her chin and her neck. Lisanna moaned slightly, and her hands dropped to the small of his back. His fingers had wound their way through her hair as his arms pinned down either side of her head. His head moved lower still, leaving a trail down her neck and along to her collarbone. Placing more of his weight on his lower body, he moved his hands down to either side of his waist and she moved to sit up to allow the both of them to remove more of their clothes. Bickslow sat up smoothly with her, leaning back on his knees as he wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her up next to him.

Her hands moved to his belt, and after fumbling with the buckle she pulled his shirt out of his skirt and trousers and over his head. Moving his hands down his chest, her fingers ghosted over the scar down his chest before running over each of his abs in turn. His fingers were playing with the bottom of her shirt, and after a few seconds, she got frustrated. She broke contact with him again to pull her tank top over her head before tossing the fabric onto the bed.

"I'm not made of glass, Bickslow."

He pushed her back down onto the bed, before kissing back up from her shoulder to her mouth. He kissed her for a few seconds before pulling away again and leaning on his elbow by the side of her head.

"I know. But it doesn't hurt to take things slowly."

His fingers moved down her chest, his eyes following not far behind. They traced where her bra touched her skin, before slowly moving over the top of the fabric. Her breath hitched in her throat, and he caught it with his mouth again. His free hand moved around her back and unclipped her bra in one swift movement. Within seconds he was on top of her again, his chest pressing heavily against her breasts and his arms once again either side of her head. She could feel his cock pressing up against her as her legs clenched his hips, and he started once again to kiss down her body.

This time he didn't stop at her shoulder, and his mouth left a hot wet trail down her chest until it reached her right nipple and clasped around it. Her back arched at the new sensation, and it forced her left breast into his waiting hand. His tongue and fingers moved in perfect sync, and Lisanna's hands grabbed onto his hair. Her face screwed up and her breath came in quick succession as the pleasure coursed through her body. She could feel an orgasm building up in the bottom of her stomach, and she started to moan. Bickslow must have heard it because he started to move down her body again, leaving her breasts devoid of any attention. She whined in annoyance, but she simply felt a chuckle against her stomach as Bickslow unwrapped her legs from around him and his hands worked quickly to open her shorts. As soon as they were undone, he placed his mouth onto her stomach and spoke into the skin.

"If you want me to stop, you tell me. At any point."

He waited for her to make a noise in affirmation before he pulled both her shorts and her underwear down her legs. Lisanna instinctively drew her legs up to hide, and Bickslow sat back on his heels.

"Are you ok?"

She nodded, taking in the whole of his body. His wrap had come off the lower half of his body entirely and his trousers had dropped low on his hips, revealing a line of blue curly hair just above the waistband. She could see his erection through the fabric, and it made her swallow heavily. His hair was sticking up in all directions and his eyes looked at her with concern, but she could see a hint of lust in them as well. She relaxed her legs, and he smiled down at her before lowering his body again.

He started at her knees, his lips making contact with her skin in the gentlest of kisses. As he moved further up her legs her hips began to buck, but he held them down with one hand on either side. His mouth became within an inch of its target before he dropped his head back down to her other knee. Lisanna moaned in frustration, not bothered about whether he heard or not, but it didn't make him speed up at all. After what seemed like an eternity she could feel his breath between her legs, and she held hers.

His tongue flicked out of his mouth and licked up her entire length. A scream of pleasure escaped from her lips as soon as it did, and she quickly covered her mouth with one of her hands. Bickslow stilled, before reaching up and pulling her arm down.

"You don't need to stay quiet. No one is here."

Lisanna nodded, despite knowing he wouldn't be able to see. His tongue touched her again, beginning to alternate between licking up her entire length and flicking over her clit as she squirmed underneath him. Her hands moved from tangling in his hair to grabbing fistfuls of bedsheets and back again, before he entwined his fingers in hers and held them down. The pleasure built up in her again, and moans started to escape from her mouth again. Some small part of her brain felt one of his hands leave hers, and seconds later she felt two of his fingers enter her. The intrusion pushed her over the edge, and she screamed as her orgasm overtook her. He moved his fingers and tongue slower and in perfect rhythm, elongating her orgasm longer than she had ever managed to on her own, before slowing to a stop as she struggled for her breath.

"I always knew there was something about your tongue."

Bickslow laughed. Not the laugh that usually erupted around the guildhall, but one that was more subdued as he pulled himself up to lean over her again. He rested on one hand, using his other to undo his trousers and push them off his body. As soon as they were removed she reached down his body, trying to return the pleasure he had given her, but he dropped his torso onto hers and trapped her hands in between them. She looked up at him with big blue eyes, and he shook his head.

"This is all about you. Are you ready?"

She nodded and he pushed back off her before finding his mask from the edge of the bed and slipping it over his face. As soon as it was in place, Lisanna pouted and touched his cheeks with her hands.

"No… I want to see your beautiful eyes."

Her voice was pleading, and it tugged at something within Bickslow, but he knew that he couldn't risk it. Not with her.

"My eyes don't control well when I'm having sex. I have other things to counter it back at home, but for now, this will have to do."

Lisanna squirmed underneath him, and Bickslow groaned as her skin brushed against his.

"Then let me wear it."

Bickslow laughed, bending his head down to kiss the spot in between her eyes. She scrunched up her nose, and Bickslow nearly became undone.

"And miss your facial expressions? Not a chance." Her smile shot happiness right through him, and he asked the next question. "Now that's one form of protection, do you have any of the other kind?"

Lisanna nodded. Mira had put her onto a contraceptive potion as soon as she came back from Edolas. It was within a day. Once she had told Bickslow, he adjusted until he was positioned between her legs and buried his face in her neck.

"This shouldn't hurt. If it does, you tell me straight away. Ok, Kitten?"

She nodded, and as soon as her head moved she felt him press against her. She felt his jaw tighten against her throat as he slipped inside of her. It was slightly uncomfortable at first, but once he was fully inside of her, the muscles began to relax and Bickslow grunted into her neck.

"Can I move?"

She nodded, her brain incapable of any speech at all. He started to move ever so slowly, ever so gently and each movement sent pleasure coursing through her body. Her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist, and he moved his mouth up to hers.

His kiss was more desperate than before, as he started to move a perfect rhythm inside of her. His mask bumped against her forehead, but she barely even noticed it. All of her attention was focused on the intense feelings over every inch of skin he touched. He groaned into her mouth, and she could feel another orgasm build up inside of her. He moved his mouth away from hers and kissed her neck as a scream ripped from her mouth as her second orgasm rippled through her body, making her squeeze his hips with her thighs.

He kept his meticulous rhythm for what seemed like hours, each movement more intense than the last as he rocked her through orgasm after orgasm. She was breathing heavily when he grunted into her neck again, and she noticed his movements becoming more erratic.

"Lisanna, I…"

She knew what was happening instantly, and she slid her arms around behind his back, resting her fingers on the skin where his arse and his back met. When he grunted again she dug her nails in, scraping them all the way up his back until they reached his shoulders. He cursed, and his hips jerked instinctively forward, pressing her hips into the bed. The rough movement tipped her over the edge again, and she screamed through her last orgasm as Bickslow collapsed on top of her.

* * *

They lay there for a few minutes, breathing ragged as they clung onto each other. Sweat covered both of their bodies, and Bickslow moaned into her neck again as he rolled off her. He pulled her back close to his body, and she looked at his half covered face. She wormed one of her hands up so it grabbed hold of his mask, and was about to tug it off her face when he stopped her.

"Just give me like… 3 minutes, okay Lis?"

She dropped her hands back down, and he pulled her into his chest, pressing her face against his skin. It was sweaty, and she could feel his muscles move underneath it as he wrapped his arms around her back.

"That was… amazing Bickslow. Thank you."

She heard a mumble from above her and felt the movement as he nodded his head. His arms constricted behind her back, pressing her heavily against his chest.

"I'm sorry you had to put up with my inexperience, but I am glad I learned from you."

A mumble came from above her again, and she adjusted her head to see he had buried his face in the pillows above her. She grinned, poking at his chin with her index finger.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you."

Bickslow groaned, and slowly lifted his head.

"I told you not to worry. You were incredible."

As soon as the words left his mouth he slammed his face back into the pillows, forcing Lisanna to chuckle. She stroked his hair behind his mask and kissed his jawline before speaking.

"Bickslow… are you nervous?"

She noticed the blush covering his cheeks and shuffled up on the bed so she could be level with him. She knocked on his mask before pulling it up slightly. Bickslow clenched his eyes closed, before opening them up to look into hers. She leant forward, kissing him on the nose before pulling back.

"What's the matter?"

Bickslow flipped over onto his front and buried his head into her pillows again. She moved over closer to him and lay on top of him again. She kissed the back of his neck, and he shivered as her lips touched her skin.

"I… I don't do well with pillow talk."

Lisanna laughed against his neck and straddled his lower back. She traced her hands up his sides, scratching his skin slightly as she went. Bickslow snorted underneath her, bucking as her nails tickled.

"Bickslow, are you ticklish?"

She barely had time to breathe before he had flipped the both of them over, pinning her underneath his body. As soon as she was on her back he started to wriggle around so he would face her, and Lisanna started to laugh until he had completed his movement and she could see his face. He had screwed his eyes tightly closed, refusing to look her in the eyes at all. Lisanna froze for a second. If he couldn't keep a hold of his figure eyes when he got excited, or too aroused, it was simply cruel of her to start tickling him. She opened her mouth to apologise, before he laughed, showing off his guild mark, and started to tickle her. She screamed in surprise, starting to squirm underneath him before he caught her mouth in his and kissed her deeply. He lowered himself down onto her again, before a loud ringing erupted in both of their ears.

* * *

Bickslow opened his eyes, and Lisanna moved over to the communications lacrima on her bedside table. She indicated for Bickslow to keep quiet, and tried to ignore the mischievous grin that covered his face. Positioning the screen so that the person at the other end couldn't see her state of undress, before Lucy's face filled the screen.

"Hey, Lisanna!"

Lisanna waved at the blonde girl, before returning the greeting. Bickslow grinned behind the lacrima, before bending down and kissing the skin between her breasts. Her breath caught in her throat, and Lucy looked confused at the other end of the communication device.

"Are you ok? You look out of breath."

Lisanna nodded, batting at Bickslow's head and forcing him to bury his head in her breast to stop his laugh.

"I'm fine! Just got back from a run so I'm a bit put out."

Lucy grinned again, taking the excuse in her stride. Bickslow licked up Lisanna's stomach, and she punched at him half-heartedly.

"Levy is having some issues and needs some girl time. Are you free to come over?"

Lisanna looked down at Bickslow, who nodded before kissing back down her body. No matter how much she wanted to stay here in bed with him, she knew that Mira would be finishing her shift at the guild anyway and she always loved spending time with the other girls in the guild.

"Yeah, sure. I can pick up Juvia on the way if you want?"

Lucy grinned, and Lisanna heard Levy groan from behind her. Obviously, the bluenette wasn't too pleased with the girls meeting being called for her alone.

"See you later, Lisanna! It will be good to catch up!"

The blonde's face disappeared, and Lisanna was just about to yell at Bickslow before he bent his head down and blew a raspberry on her stomach. She screamed in surprise and pulled her knees up to her chest to stop him doing it again. She was still laughing when he stood up off the bed and scooped her up in his arms like she didn't weigh anything at all.

"Bickslow!"

He took two strides across the room and opened the door. He stepped out into the hallway before pausing.

"Ok. So. Hear this out. I was going to be all romantic and carry you into the shower, but…"

Lisanna laughed at how put out he looked, before pointing to a door along the hall.

"The bathroom is down there."

Bickslow nodded, before striding along the hallway. Somehow Lisanna knew he wasn't finished with her for the day.

* * *

 **A/N - O.k. so. I felt like this chapter needed some explanation. I wanted this relationship to progress slower than this, but unfortunately, I had my arm twisted by the Iron and Paper timeline so it had to go a lot faster than I wanted. On the bright side, I do kind of like that this couple are super spontaneous and generally awful at thinking things through.**

 **Also a disclaimer. As I wrote Iron and Paper before I ever thought that there would be any sister fics, there may be some time discrepancies between Soul Squared and Iron and Paper. I'm sorry about that, but I am trying hard to avoid them!**

 **Thanks to everyone for their support on this fic, I know that it's a bit of a crack pairing that very few people enjoy, but they are a delight to write for so I am glad some of you enjoy it!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N - This has lemon all the way up to the first line break. Just so you guys know.**

* * *

The bathroom Lisanna had led him to was huge, at least twice the size of his own. The shower was free standing and had a variety of controls that Bickslow couldn't even begin to comprehend. He placed Lisanna on the floor inside the shower, and just stared at the control panel. Lisanna reached an arm around him, reaching towards the panel.

"Do you want me to…"

Bickslow grabbed her hand and put it on his waist. He stared at the panel for a bit longer, trying to work out how he could even turn on the thing before he sighed and moved Lisanna's hand back onto the panel. She giggled and stepped around him, as Bickslow looked around the shower. It was enormous, and it took a while for Bickslow to realise that it needed to be so big to accommodate Elfman's oversized body.

Lisanna turned around after setting all of the dials to where she needed them and starting the shower up and hugged Bickslow close to her before he started to moan and cover his eyes.

"What's the matter?"

He dropped his hands down to her shoulders and kissed the top of her head as it slowly got soaked through by the water assaulting the both of them from all sides.

"I just imagined your brother naked."

Lisanna pulled away from him, and looked him in the eye. His face was twisted into some sort of mild disgust, and she laughed at it.

"Why di… you know what? I don't think I even want to know."

She twisted her upper body around, grabbing a bottle of shower gel from the in-shower shelf, she squeezed some onto her hand before lathering it up, and starting to wash down his chest. Bickslow watched her as she ran her fingers down over his pecs and then made their way to his abs, swallowing at the lust that had started to overtake him again but ultimately failing to suppress the moan that escaped his mouth. Lisanna looked up to him, her blue eyes full of mirth as she smirked.

"Really? Already?"

Bickslow stuck his tongue out, grabbing her hands and pressing them against her chest as he leant forward to her.

"What can I say, you're fucking hot."

His mouth reconnected with hers, and she returned the kiss immediately. He moved forward slightly until her back was pushed up against the shower wall. He felt her arms snake around his back and smooth over his skin and he screwed his eyes shut as tightly as possible. He leant both of his hands either side of her head and pressed his body flushed with hers. She moved her hands around to the front of his body, and he hissed as his fingers brushed across his hips.

"Fuck, Kitten. We can't go much further than this. I can't risk my eyes going out of control."

Her hands moved up over his stomach and to his chest, and as she opened her eyes she could see that his were tightly closed. She brushed her fingers over his cheek and spoke as softly as she could.

"What would happen if you did get me?"

She watched as she swallowed, and his eyes peeled open slightly. As soon as he had established that his eyes were under control he looked into hers, and he smiled.

"You'd lose all control of your body, and wouldn't remember a thing until I released you. The problem is I may not notice I have taken control of you until after. I don't want to steal your soul."

Lisanna smiled, pushing herself up on her tiptoes to press her lips against his.

"Then from here on out I will keep my eyes closed. Then you can't hurt me, right?"

Bickslow was about to protest when she pulled his face back down to hers, and he made sure he closed his eyes as she did. The sensation was weird, both being blind to his surroundings and the hammering of the water around them blocking out most of his hearing as well. He had to use touch alone to guide him, and he moved his hands across the wall to get to her shoulders, clenching onto her skin. He kept kissing her, moving his body far enough away to work his hands down her body, before stopping them on her breasts. He started to massage them in perfect unison, and Lisanna moaned into his mouth. He swallowed down the noise before his left hand continued down its path to rest in between her legs. He started to slowly massage her clit, and his head lowered down to rest in her neck and started to bite her skin gently. Lisanna started to moan softly, a sound that increased in volume when he slowly inserted one of his fingers inside of her. He pulled his mouth away from her skin for a second, moving his head up to talk into her ear.

"You make the most incredible fucking noises, Lisanna"

If he had opened his eyes he would have seen her blush, but as it was he just went back down to her join between her neck and her shoulder and continued kissing at the skin. He moved both hands in unison, paying attention to the girl in front of him as her moans got more frequent until her body stiffened and she shook as the orgasm worked through her. The scream reverberated around the shower stall, and he waited for it to cease before he moved his way up to her mouth, kissing her deeper this time as he grabbed her waist to keep her steady.

"Do you want…"

He couldn't even finish his sentence before she answered him, panting his answer into his mouth.

"Fuck yes, Bickslow. Please."

He grinned into her skin, kissing her again. His tongue slipped into her mouth, and she immediately attacked it with hers. He grabbed onto her hips, helping her wind one leg around his waist before holding up the other as he lined himself up to enter her. She pulled back from his mouth to moan in pleasure as he entered her, and Bickslow grabbed onto her thighs to keep her steady against the wall. He moved his face forward to kiss her, but in seconds he realised that he couldn't find her because her face had dropped down to his neck and he felt her begin to kiss his skin.

He moaned in pleasure, and his hips bucked forward without his permission. He could feel her wet skin all over him, and he lamented for a second he wasn't able to move his hands all over her, to commit even more of it to memory. Without warning her teeth dug into his neck and he swore loudly. Her mouth moved an inch away from his skin, and she giggled. The action moved through her body in such a way it shot a burst of pleasure through his and he swore again.

"You've got such a filthy mouth, Bickslow."

He grunted into her ear, before speeding up his thrusts to make her swear back at him. It was his turn to laugh until she stopped it by taking his mouth in hers. Lisanna could see the light turn green through her eyelids, and she opened her lids a crack to see the magic of Bickslow's eyes shining through his clenched eyelids and quickly slammed hers shut. She could see what he meant about losing control of his figure eyes, the magic had become so powerful it was outshining the light in the bathroom. She instantly felt guilty for betraying him and opening her eyes, but the feelings he was creating inside her drove away the guilt in seconds.

Once again he had driven her over the edge multiple times before his rhythm started to become erratic, and she knew what was happening again. She found her way back to his shoulder, and bit down hard as he swore and became completely undone. He pulled out of her and dropped her legs, leaning back against the opposite wall as he breathed deeply, eyes still clenched closed.

"Fuck, Lisanna. You're going to kill me, you know that?"

Lisanna grinned, before grabbing her shampoo and starting to massage it into his hair.

"I guess we'd better actually get clean now, right?"

* * *

Three hours into the shopping trip, Juvia stopped outside one of the many spas in Magnolia and looked in through the window. Cana walked straight into the back of her, stumbling slightly as she tried to right herself.

"Juvia would love to go to the spa…"

The girls all gathered around, looking into the window. They had already had a long day, and not a single one wasn't tempted to go and get pampered. The first four girls filtered in, leaving Mira and Lisanna standing outside. The older girl turned around, looking her sister in the eye as she did.

"You ok, Lis?"

Lisanna smiled weakly, pulling her wallet out of her bag. She didn't make as much as the other girls, on account of never going on missions on her own, and needed to be careful of her money. Mira grabbed her arm, tugging her into the spa as she went.

"Don't worry, Lis. This is my treat. I have some left over from the S Class job I took last week, and there's another one come in that would be perfect for me as well."

Lisanna blushed. It really wasn't like Mira to take quests since she had returned from Edolas, but for the last couple of weeks, she had been taking them with an increasing frequency. The spa was modern and small, stuffed in between two clothes stores in the middle of the city. The other girls were all poring over the treatments list, and Lisanna just stood next to her sister. She always felt awkward when someone else was spending money on her, and she was just going to choose whatever Mira was going to do. Her older sister must have read her mind because she turned around and asked Lisanna before making her decision.

"What do you think about having a pedicure? I'm sure they have all sorts of pretty colours we can choose from!"

Lisanna just nodded and joined the other girls in the waiting area. She had barely sat down when Cana and Levy were called into the back of the spa to receive their facial, and she was left with Juvia and Lucy sat across from them. Lucy was the first one to speak, her voice cutting through the quiet of the spa.

"So, what exactly did you do on your job? Wasn't it an exorcism?"

Lisanna blushed as Juvia turned herself fully around to look at her pointedly. She sat back in the large armchair that she had chosen to sit in, and tried to completely ignore the water mage.

"It was pretty interesting, actually. I haven't seen Bickslow working properly before, and it was fun to learn a bit more about what he does."

She stopped and turned to Mira as her sister handed her a large glass of wine. She took it with a smile, as Lucy continued with her questions.

"Was it not a little creepy? He was talking to a dead person! And, you know, it's Bickslow."

Lisanna chuckled, taking a drink from the glass. She wasn't a huge wine drinker, but Mira always seemed to know what she would like.

"I would be lying if I said it wasn't. Everything went dark, and the only light came from his eyes and the babies. I probably would have gotten out of there if it wasn't for his mask protecting me."

The three other girls looked at her, none of them had known before she had needed protection to stop the man from hurting her and Juvia distracted them before Mira could think on it too long.

"Watching Bickslow on a job was very odd. He is a lot different to how he is at the guild."

"Juvia and Lucy?"

The woman had walked into the waiting room, and the two girls stood up and started to move towards the back of the spa, and Lisanna was left staring into her glass. After a few seconds of silence, she looked up, to see a look of pure evil plastered across her sister's face.

"Oh no… Mirajane please no."

Lisanna groaned. She knew that grin anywhere, and in that moment, she knew she was getting more than enough payback for her elder sister paying for the spa for her. Mira was good at a lot of things, and manipulation to get information was close to the top of the list.

"What's the matter, Lisanna? I can't take an interest in the things my darling little sister has taken an interest in?"

The younger girl took a long drink out of her glass, before staring at the liquid inside it. The alcohol was nowhere near taking effect, and she leant forward to grab a menu off the table in front of them.

"Do you think they have anything stronger? I think I'm going to need it."

Mira leant forward, and placed a hand on her younger sister's leg. Her laugh was light and innocent, but Lisanna knew better than anyone else what lay underneath.

"Come on, Lisanna. It's not going to be that bad."

A young woman called their names, and Mira held out her hand to help Lisanna to her feet. The younger girl sighed, before following her sister down the corridor to the treatment room.

"You know, Lisanna, if you don't tell me I am just going to make assumptions. And I have a very vivid imagination. Man, if he did some of these things to you I don't know what I would have to do…"

Mira's voice got deeper as the sentence went on, and Lisanna sighed as she sat down on the chair the woman showed her to, and started to take off her shoes. Placing her feet into the warm water, she leant back and closed her eyes, trying to figure out how she was going to word this.

"I'll leave you two to soak your feet, and then my colleague and I will return to commence the treatment."

A lacrima activated in the bowl and bubbles erupted around their feet as the woman left. Lisanna could feel her sister's eyes on her as her voice entered her head.

"Lisanna?"

"What can I say? He's a pretty good-looking guy."

Mira chuckled, taking a sip out of her own drink as she did. She closed her eyes as well, knowing that she wasn't going to get much from Lisanna.

"I know that you think he is a pretty good looking guy, at least."

Lisanna giggled, cracking open one eye to stare at her sister. She never knew how much she missed doing this with her until she felt the amazing feeling of sister time again.

"Come on, Mira. He isn't that bad."

"I guess when you look past the hair, and the tattoo, and the tongue, and the ridiculous clothes he could be construed as somewhat attractive."

Lisanna took a long drink from her wine, knowing that she wasn't going to win this anytime soon. Mira sure played the bimbo down at the guild, and on jobs when it benefited her, but she was much more intelligent than she ever let on. And nothing got in the way of her and gossip.

"I don't know, sis. I couldn't put it into words even if I tried. Not only did I find him attractive, actually spending time on this mission made me fall head over heels for him. And then I kissed him and it was incredible and…"

"You kissed him!?"

Mira's eyes had shot open, and Lisanna just blushed and finished the last of her alcohol. It was starting to swim in her head, but she was much too far gone now. She just nodded and closed her eyes in the hope that some stars would align and make her sister forget what she just admitted to.

"You know you don't need to do anything you don't want to, right Lisanna?"

The younger girl nodded, trying to focus on the way the bubbles felt on her feet. She had known this conversation had been coming with Mira. The older girl had taken on the role of both parents in the years since they joined the guild, and the sex talk wasn't any different. She made the decision right then not to tell Mira that she had actually slept with him, in any sense of the word. If she had freaked out that much at a simple kiss it would be better for her to tell her about the rest right now.

"Yeah, I know. He was the perfect gentleman about it. Told me I needed to wait and think about it before I did anything."

Mira smiled and paused as two women came in and started to massage their feet. The white haired girls smiled down at them before Mira continued with the conversation.

"That's good. If I am honest, if he treats you half as well as he treats his little dolls I won't have to kill him."

Lisanna giggled as her feet were tickled, but managed to control it as she looked at her sister.

"Please don't kill my… whatever Bickslow is."

Mira started to laugh at the touches on her feet as well, and the women automatically adjusted so their pressure was harder and got rid of the tickling feeling altogether.

"So you're not officially an item yet?"

Lisanna shook her head forcefully, before pushing her hair back out of her eyes. She couldn't imagine being an official item with Bickslow, couldn't ever think of him turning around and telling her that she was his girlfriend. He had been pretty insistent the day before.

"I asked yesterday, after I helped him out with his night terrors. He told me I didn't need to worry about defining it as long as I was having fun."

Mira looked at her in shock, and the women disappeared to collect the polish for their nails. Lisanna just stared at her feet, still wishing the ground would swallow her up.

"Bickslow. Bickslow said that?"

Before Lisanna could say anything, the women had returned with a collection of colours, and she had a decision to make. She settled on a dark red, that reminded her of something that she couldn't quite put her fingers on. When she looked up at Mira, the look on her sister's face made her remember just what it was. Bickslow's eyes.

"What, Mira? It's pretty."

Mira selected a light turquoise, and the women began to paint their toes as the two girls resumed relaxing. Mira's voice came with a laugh, and she took a drink from her glass.

"I'm sure you find it very pretty, Lisanna."

Lisanna huffed as she watched the paint get applied to her nails, and stared her sister in the eyes.

"Why say it like that, Mira? I'm sure a lot of people would find it pretty."

Mira laughed again, adjusting her hair so it fell over the back of the chair.

"And I'm sure a lot of people find it slightly weird and disgusting."

Lisanna sighed. She knew this was going to happen as soon as Mira discovered about her crush, and cursed her subconscious for selecting a colour which looked so much like Bickslow's eyes, and then immediately cursed her sister for figuring it out.

"Alright, Mira. That's not even being subtle anymore."

Mira pouted back at her. It wasn't often the two sisters fell out, and Mira always took it hard when they did. They had been through too much together to get into let stupid little things like this get to them.

"I'm sorry, Lisanna. I'm just trying to wrap my head around it, that's all."

Lisanna gritted her teeth. Bickslow wasn't as bad as everyone made him out to be. If her own sister couldn't accept her new relationship then she knew it was going to be an uphill struggle telling the rest of the guild.

"You don't need to wrap your head around it! He makes me happy, Mirajane. He's funny, he's sweet and he's a dork and he makes me happy. Is that not enough for you?"

Mira looked at her sister through her lashes and reached out her arm to hold her hand. Lisanna took it, her anger evaporating immediately.

"That's plenty enough, Lisanna. Your happiness means the world to me."


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer - this chapter is M rated again after the second line. It can be skipped if you're here for the plot and not for the lemon.**

* * *

Lisanna had gone into the kitchen to wash up some of the plates the girls had used and had her head down focusing on the sink when she heard something bang against the window. Looking up, she could see Peppe flying against the window, spinning around slightly between each hit. She looked around to make sure no one else was in the kitchen, and upon hearing everyone still gossiping in the front room she reached up to the window and unlatched it.

"Lissy! Lissy follow!"

The doll was speaking before it even got into the window, and Lisanna attempted to quieten them down. There would be no end of talk if all the other girls saw it there, and there would be no chance of her getting out of the house anytime soon. She held out her hand for the doll to land, before whispering back to it.

"Shush! We need to be sneaky. Go to the front of the house and I will meet you out there, OK?"

Peppe span around a couple of times, hushing Lisanna each time they looked directly at her, before flying back out of the window and disappeared in the direction of their front garden. Lisanna finished up the washing up quickly, before heading back out to the living room.

Cana was sat in between Lucy and Mira on the larger sofa and had thrown her arms over each of their shoulders. The two other girls had been pulled down onto her chest on either side, and Mira was taking it in her stride while a deep blush covered most of Lucy's face. Juvia and Levy sat on the other sofa, someone had pulled it around so it faced the other since Lisanna had been in the kitchen, and both were giggling at something Cana had said.

"Hey, Mira?"

Her sister looked up at her and smiled, causing Lisanna to flick through her mind for an excuse as to where she was going.

"I need to go down to the guild for a little bit, I will be back later okay?"

Mira nodded, but the smirk on her face told Lisanna that she saw right through the lie. There were very few things that got past Mirajane, and her own sister's movements were definitely not one of them. Cana looked at her smugly as well, and Lisanna had a sinking feeling that the card mage had guessed what was going on too. But none of them said anything except their goodbyes as she pulled on a pair of trainers and went to meet her guide outside.

As soon as Peppe saw her they immediately bumped into her shoulder, before turning around and flying down the path. Lisanna had to break into a jog to keep up with them, and far too many times along the journey they went somewhere where she couldn't follow unless she changed forms. She supposed it was difficult for the little totem to remember that normal humans couldn't fly, and started to giggle as she realised they were just taking the fastest route to get to where they were going, in a completely straight line, and the giggles devolved into full blown laughter as she imagined Bickslow trying to follow these things. Maybe that was why he spent so much of his time running and jumping over obstacles and generally being so acrobatic.

* * *

They must have gone across half of Magnolia by the time Peppe bounced into the door of a large apartment building. Lisanna walked up to it, and opened it inwards as she stepped in. The building was much more upmarket than she ever would have pictured Bickslow living in. Peppe shot over to the stairwell and headed up the stairs. Lisanna followed, pleased that it appeared no one manned the reception as she didn't feel like explaining who she was and why she was following a small wooden doll into the building.

Peppe was hovering at the top of the stairs, before flying up the next flight and hovering there for Lisanna to catch up. She counted nine floors until Peppe flew along the hallway and bumped into one of the doors. Lisanna walked up to it, and could hear classical music coming from the room beyond. She froze for a second, considering what was on the other side of the door. Was Freed there? She really couldn't see Bickslow listening to something like that. Peppe bounced off the door again, and Lisanna took the hint by opening it and peaking around the door frame. Peppe flew in above her, joining the other dolls where they were floating around each other, weaving in and out in time to the music.

Bickslow was stood in the middle of the room, wearing nothing but a pair of boxers, and dancing around in what looked like a terrible interpretation of a Waltz. The timing was all off; his limbs were far too long and didn't look like they were even attached to the same body. He had both of his arms up as if they were holding someone, and his legs twitched around in a way that made Lisanna think he was being electrocuted. She couldn't hold back on her laugh, and soon he had noticed her. He stopped, turning to stare right at her. She couldn't stop laughing, and Bickslow walked over to the music lacrima and hit it to stop it. He took a few strides over to her, opened the door fully and pulled her into the apartment. She was still laughing as he shoved her back against the door, and caged her in with his arms. His face was unamused, and Lisanna tried between laughs to compose herself.

"I'm sorry, Bickslow. It's just you dance like a fucking marionette!"

Bickslow's face got even more unamused, if that was even possible. His eyes narrowed, and his face came in close to hers. The babies had surrounded him, and they floated slowly as if they were upset.

"Haha, Lisanna. Real original right there."

Lisanna looked up at him, and Bickslow could see her blushing. He was intending to mess with her, but she looked like she had really taken it to heart. She started to play with the bottom of her shirt, and began to speak again.

"I'm sorry, I didn…"

Bickslow lurched himself forward, taking her mouth in his and interrupting her sentence. She squeaked in surprise, before he felt her arms snake up around his neck and pull him further down. He leant heavier on the door either side of his head, and deepened the kiss as he did. She pressed her body against his, and he took a physical step forward to press her up against the door. Lisanna could taste alcohol on his tongue, and suddenly the dancing made much more sense.

A wolf whistle came from the right of them, along with a shriek from the left. Bickslow shoo'd his babies away, but they were too excited for that. One of them bumped into his head repeatedly, and he had to break away from the kiss to address him.

"Puppu! Stop it! I'm not hurting her!"

Lisanna was giggling into her hand, her blush deepening on her cheeks. The babies were flying around their heads now, hanging between them and preventing them kissing any further. Puppu bumped into her forehead, and Bickslow grabbed him out of the air.

"She's not hurting me either! Fucking hell, guys! We're kissing! You don't need to freak out about this!"

The babies stopped still for a second before they started to spin around even faster and shrieked louder.

"Lissy Papa Kiss!"

Lisanna started to laugh with them, and Bickslow sighed. He had planned this out to be all romantic and everything, and his babies were ruining it all. He grabbed Pippi and threw her out of Lisanna's face, trying to kiss her again but to no avail as Poppo flew in between them.

"Guys! Enough!"

They all froze, before simultaneously sinking to the floor. Bickslow sighed, resting his head against the door next to Lisanna.

"I'm sorry, buddies. I didn't mean to get cross at you."

The babies stayed on the floor, and Bickslow could feel the waves of sadness coming off them. Lisanna was giggling into her hand, but none of the babies moved at all.

"Guys. Come on. You know exactly what I meant."

But still they didn't move, sat stock still on the floor as if they were simple, soulless wooden dolls. Lisanna bent down, and picked up Peppe from where he had fallen next to them. She hugged him to her chest, starting to stroke the top of his head.

"Bickslow! Don't be mean to them! They were just surprised that you finally managed to get a woman anywhere near you."

Bickslow sighed again, and bounced his head off the door a couple of times. How had he managed to find the one person on the planet who liked his babies more than they liked him.

"Firstly, don't take their side. Secondly, I could have any woman I want. Look at this body."

Lisanna laughed again, and Bickslow made an exasperated sound in the back of his throat. He pushed his body away from the door, and grabbed Peppe from Lisanna, throwing him up into the air and sighing as he just bounced off the ceiling and rolled across the floor. Lisanna was starting to think that something was seriously wrong with them, before Peppe broke his vow of silence.

"Ow."

Bickslow laughed, his tongue lolling out as he did, and Lisanna knew that everything was suddenly alright between him and his little dolls.

"That didn't hurt, you goof. Tell you what. You go and find a park you want to play in, and me and Lisanna will be along soon alright? We'll meet you there."

All of the babies simultaneously rose off the ground and shot off out of the window without saying anything else. Bickslow turned back around to Lisanna, and looked at her in exasperation. She was still giggling, and he bent his arms so he could lean over her and stare into her eyes.

"Now. Where were we?"

* * *

He dropped his mouth down to her neck, and bit down on the skin harder than he ever had before. She jumped slightly, but when she moaned he knew that he was okay. Her hands gripped onto his hair, and pulled at it making him grunt in pleasure into her skin.

"Fuck, Lisanna"

His voice came out in gasps as he continued biting and licking her neck. He was still pressing both of his hands either side of her head, and Lisanna felt trapped. Usually she would panic, but with Bickslow it sent chills down her spine and straight to her core. She never would have thought she would be this horny this soon after getting into his house, but she found herself craving more of him. Her hands moved onto his shoulder blades and nails dug into his skin as she spoke.

"That's the plan."

Bickslow grinned into her skin, before pulling away from her neck with a pop and attacked her mouth with his. Her tongue immediately entered his mouth and he reciprocated with his as he battled her for dominance. Bickslow wasn't used to losing, and he wasn't about to start now. He rested his elbows either side of her head and pressed himself closer onto her. Her breasts rubbed up against his chest, and her nails scraped down his back, forcing him to press closer to her. Her fingers quickly wormed down the back of his boxers, and Bickslow pulled away from her mouth, biting her lip as he did.

"Wow, you have no patience do you, kitten?"

"Shut up, Bickslow"

She began to tug at the fabric as Bickslow started to kiss her again, grabbing onto her waist and lifting her up. Lisanna automatically wrapped her legs around his hips, and brought her arms around his neck for support. She was expecting him to press her back up against the door like he had in the shower before, but he pulled away from the wood and seconds later she felt the kitchen counter top underneath her. Bickslow pulled away from her mouth, and moved his hand up to smooth back her hair. His skin was flushed from where he had been kissing her, and the sight of it made Lisanna's heart race even faster.

"You stay here. I need to go and get something. Don't move."

Lisanna moaned at the lack of contact as he moved away, and tried to pull him back by clenching her legs around his hips. Bickslow sighed, squeezing his eyes closed as he did.

"I promise I will be right back, okay? We will resume this in like, 5 seconds. I just need to grab something for my eyes."

Lisanna relaxed her legs and allowed him to break free, and took the time to catch her breath. Bickslow almost sprinted into another room across the apartment. Lisanna leant back on her arms, breathing heavily as she did. Bickslow returned into the room, snapping bracelets closed around his wrists.

"Isn't that going to affect the babies?"

Bickslow shook his head as he stalked his way back over, tongue lolling out of his mouth as he did.

"No, the way these work my magic still exists so the babies still stay up. Don't worry, no matter how much I want to fuck you I'm not going to endanger them for it."

Lisanna laughed, allowing Bickslow to wrap his arms around her again as she grabbed back hold of him with her legs. He started to kiss her more forcefully this time, and his hands started to stumble around with her shirt. It dropped down on the counter, and Bickslow removed her bra seconds later. His fingers tangled up in her hair and pulled on it, making her moan into his mouth. His nails left a criss-cross pattern across her back, and she made sure to return them on his. He moved his hands down to her jeans, undoing them quickly and attempting to tug them down her legs before realising they were trapped underneath her. Lisanna started to giggle as Bickslow swore, but was quickly silenced as he pressed his palm forcefully against her chest until she felt the cold of the marble against her heated skin. He bent over her, using his height to his advantage, before starting to bite all down her body. He left the beginnings of bruises across her chest, all over her breasts and down her stomach. Every time his teeth grazed her skin she either hissed or moaned in pleasure, and every single sound shot straight to Bickslow's cock. He got down to the hem of her jeans, and left a bruise just below her navel. She moaned as his breath tickled the base of her stomach, and he returned the moan into her skin.

"Fuck. Do you have any fucking idea how much you turn me on?"

His fingers hooked through the fabric either side of her hips, and she pressed herself up off the counter top to allow him to pull off both her jeans and her underwear in one swift movement. As soon as they had fallen to the floor, he moved his head down to her hips and left a bruise on each side. He had been called possessive before, but the way it made his heart race and his cock twitch whenever he saw a mark he had placed on a girl diagnosed him better than any doctor ever could, and on Lisanna it was ten times worse. It somehow felt so forbidden, and as he looked up to her he was reminded of some kind of masterpiece as they dotted up her body, showing a perfect map of where his mouth had been.

She squirmed underneath him as he started to move his mouth down between her legs, and his hands gently pried them apart before he reminded her exactly what his tongue could do. She started to buck underneath him in seconds, and Bickslow didn't know whether his ego or his cock grew bigger as she clenched her thighs either side of his head and screamed through her orgasm. He made sure to slow down to slowly rock her way through it, before taking her moans of frustration to mean she wanted him to speed up again.

"You know I'm never going to be able to look at your tongue without being turned on again?"

Her voice was strained and accentuated with moans, and when Bickslow replaced his tongue with his fingers almost seamlessly she screamed up to the ceiling as her back arched.

"You mean you didn't already? Lisanna, I am hurt."

His fingers found a rhythm inside of her, and when his tongue joined them in perfect sync it wasn't long before her muscles tightened around him, and she screamed through another orgasm. Bickslow straightened himself up, placing both of his fingers into his mouth and tasting her on them.

"I fucking love how I can make you scream, Kitten."

Lisanna blushed, and Bickslow pushed his boxers off his hips and let them fall to the floor. He grabbed her shoulders, pulled her upright, and looked straight into her eyes. Lining himself up he pushed herself into her slowly, before gripping onto her hips and starting to move. Her eyes never left his, but he could see her mouth fall open as her breathing got heavier. She smiled up at him and he nearly became undone.

"I was just thinking; your countertops are the perfect height."

He shook his head at her observation, gripping onto her thighs tighter than before as he started to drive into her harder.

"Yeah, got them measured specifically for this."

Lisanna giggled, and the noise sent shivers down his spine. Her eyes lit up, and he swallowed again, readjusting his grip as the sweat between their bodies started to make his hands slip. She started to look away but he grabbed her face and moved it back until he could look into her eyes. He wasn't missing the opportunity while it was here, he didn't know when he would get to experience it again.

"You really measured your countertops so you could fuck people on them."

Bickslow grinned, and felt his tongue loll out of his mouth. His hands clasped tighter onto her flesh, and some small part of his mind told him that he would be leaving bruises, but she didn't seem to care.

"Nah, happy accident."

She opened her mouth to reply, but Bickslow finally broke eye contact and kissed her again, pushing into her much deeper than he had before and forcing her to moan into his mouth. He had no idea what it was about her, but she made him want her even more by the second.

Nails scraped across his back again and he returned the groan. He had always prided himself on his stamina before, and seeing as this was the third time fucking her today he should have been able to last longer, but this girl really took it out of him.

The way her skin touched his, the noises that she made into his mouth it all culminated in the best sex he had ever had. And Bickslow didn't say that lightly. He dropped his mouth back to what was quickly becoming his favourite spot, the place where her right shoulder met her neck, and concentrated on making a mark that would be visible for weeks. She had plenty of high collared shirts and scarves, she would be fine.

Her moans hit a new level as soon as he sunk his teeth into her, and the way her nails dug into the muscles in his shoulders made him highly aware of how she was marking him, too. Oh well, it's not like anyone else ever saw him topless anyway.

His fingertips dug into her thighs, revelling in how soft and smooth her skin felt against his. His tongue ran across her collarbone, tasting a mixture of both of their sweat as he continued to mark every bit of skin he could reach. He pulled away to see the constellations of bruises starting to appear on her otherwise flawless skin, and swore out loud. The word made her open her eyes, and Bickslow grinned.

"You're mine, Lisanna."

A smile broke across her lips, and her hands shot up to the back of his head and pulled him in for a kiss. He managed to maintain the perfect rhythm as she orgasmed beneath him, screams muffled by his mouth. He'd allow it, just this once.

She broke away again, trying to catch her breath. Bickslow forced himself to slow down, although it went against what every nerve in his body was crying out for.

"You moaned I was gonna kill you, I think you're gonna get to me first."

The laugh that followed almost made Bickslow come undone. This was a woman that could laugh and joke around, and still be fucking sexy while doing it. He didn't know what he had done to deserve such a perfect girl, but he was fucking glad he had done it. She began to trace her nails over the front of his body, leaving more scratches on the way down, and he finally moved his hands up to rest on the small of her back. Leaning forward, he trapped her hands between their bodies and changed his angle inside her making her squeal in pleasure. The noise was what did it for him, and he knew she had pushed him off the edge. His mouth clashed with hers, desperate and sloppy, and he moaned as his orgasm overcame him. The movement was met with some of her own, and she contracted around him as her orgasm overtook her. Coming down from his high, Bickslow grinned into her mouth. He'd never come at the same time as his partner before, but with Lisanna it had happened every time.

His knees went weak, and he leaned forward to push her down onto the counter top, disentangling their arms as he did, and lay down on top of her. His face hid in her neck, and he chuckled as her hair tickled his nose.

"Hi."

Lisanna giggled, a noise that vibrated through her chest into his. She started to play with his hair, and if she didn't know better she would say that he purred into her skin.

"Hey, Bickslow."

She felt his mouth spread into a grin, and he kissed her neck. Not like he did before, there was none of the ferocity or need behind it. This time it was sweet and gentle, something that before the day before she had never assumed Bickslow could be. Her hands dropped down to his shoulders, and he snorted as if he had thought of something funny.

"See, Lisanna? I told you there'd be plenty of times we didn't make it into the bedroom."

She laughed underneath him, as she lazily moved her hands up and down his back. Her legs were hanging limply off the side of the countertop, and the difference in temperature between his heated body on her front and the still-cool marble on her back felt amazing on her skin.

"You're doing really well with this whole pillow talk thing right now."

Bickslow laughed into her neck, his two arms still sprawled over her head and dangling off the other side of the countertop.

"I don't see any pillows around here, do you? Plus, full disclosure, I am slightly drunk."

Lisanna laughed as well as she could with Bickslow's weight pressing down on her, and moved her hands down to pinch one of his arse cheeks, making him squirm on top of her.

"I thought you might be. I can't believe we've had sex three times today. Is that just because you're drunk, or is this something I can expect every day?"

Bickslow finally pushed himself off of her, and Lisanna took a deep breath into her lungs as he did. It was weird how you didn't notice how much you were struggling to breathe until it became completely natural again. He took her hands in his, and pulled her up until she was sitting again.

"Kitten, my body is always willing. All you have to do is ask. Well, seeing as we're going to need to take a shower anyway, care to try for a fourth time?"

Lisanna jumped off the counter, before stumbling as her legs protested the exertion she had just put them through. Bickslow caught her with one hand, before supporting her as he showed her to the shower. She swore under her breath. How had he recovered so quickly?

"I don't know, Bickslow. Why should we stop at four?"

Bickslow froze, and for a second Lisanna thought she had said something wrong. But then Bickslow turned to her, grabbed her knees and pulled her up until he was holding her bridal style the way he had earlier in the day before backing into the bathroom.

"You are fucking perfect, you know that Lisanna?"

* * *

 **A/N - Is this three M rated chapters in a row in this fic? Yes. Yes it is. I apologise for once again to everyone leaving reviews, each and every one makes me so happy!**


	12. Chapter 12

They never did make it past four, in the end. Although they were both willing, as Bickslow was pressed back up against the tiny shower wall but Lisanna pinning his shoulders he explained that they should probably go and get the babies at some point. He still had the bracelets clasped across his wrists and Lisanna stared into his eyes without any fear of being taken over. His hair was wet and plastered across his face but Lisanna knew that hers was probably a hundred times worse. She reached around Bickslow, grabbing some conditioner off the shelf and rubbing it through her hair.

"I wouldn't have done that if I were you."

Lisanna looked up at him. He was stood with his hands on his hips, smirking at her in a way that only he could. His tongue lolled out of his mouth, and she could see every little detail of his guild mark from this close up.

"Why? Believe me, my hair will be untameable if I don't put any conditioner in it."

Bickslow took another step over to her, placing his hands either side of her head and leaning down until his face was in line with hers.

"Freed freaks out if anyone uses his hair stuff. And he'll know. I am pretty sure he can smell it."

Bickslow sniffed at her hair for effect, and Lisanna laughed and batted him out of the way. She squirted some on her hands behind him, before spreading it on his hair. He shrieked in surprise, jumping back and hitting into the wall opposite.

"What the fuck! Now you've dragged me down with you!"

Lisanna ignored his pouting as she rubbed it through his hair. She had to admit it did smell good, trust Freed to have such fruity conditioner. Bickslow just stood, arms crossed and forcing Lisanna to stand on her tiptoes to reach up to his hair.

"And plus, now my hair is going to be all floofy. A lot of work goes into looking this good, Lisanna, and using conditioner is not a part of that routine."

Lisanna giggled again, before pushing his head underneath the water in order to wash it clean. Although most of the hair was soft, it scratched her hands where it had been shaved and she made sure to massage more conditioner into it. Bickslow simply stayed still, before getting out of the shower as soon as she had finished. He grabbed a towel and roughly dried off his hair before wrapping it around his waist and walking out of the bathroom.

"Bickslow! I need a towel too!"

Lisanna reached up to turn off the shower, before just standing in the shower, not wanting to get out and walk around naked and dripping wet in a house that wasn't her own. She could hear Bickslow moving around in another room, and strained her ears so she could hear what he was saying.

"No! Too late! You ruined my hair, you don't get a towel!"

Lisanna sighed. She may still have to be soaked, but she didn't have to be naked. She transformed into some clothes before stepping out of the shower and padding through to the main room. She could see Bickslow moving around in a room to the left and peeked in the door.

The room he was standing in was small, a double bed touched both walls and clothes hung up on a rail over the top of it. More clothes were scattered around the room, and small wooden dolls in various stages of completion sat alongside metal masks on most of the other surfaces. Bickslow stood at the end of the bed pulling on some trousers, the ones he usually wore under his wrap, and turned around when he saw her.

"Well, that's not fair. Why can't I do that?"

Lisanna smiled, grabbing the towel off the floor and transforming back so she could dry herself off before walking through to grab her clothes from where they had been thrown onto the floor. She had just grabbed all of her clothes and put them on when Bickslow walked out of the room, pulling on his mask as he did. She pouted at the fact he had covered his face again, but he leaned down and kissed her gently before opening the door to the apartment.

"Come on, Lissy. Let's go find the babies."

It was still daylight outside, but only just. Bickslow immediately jumped out of the door and pulled himself up onto the railing outside his apartment and started to walk along the pole on top of it. All of Lisanna's thoughts of walking along hand in hand with him disappeared, but he made sure to stay slow enough so he could keep up a conversation with her.

"So, where are we going?"

Bickslow jumped a gap in the fence, making sure he was stable the other side before continuing. His balance was immaculate, and Lisanna wondered how many times he had fallen before he had perfected it. He stopped for a second, perfectly balanced and still, and Lisanna waited for his response. He cocked his head from side to side for a second like he was listening for something before starting to walk again.

"They're doing something that's really winding them up and they're not thinking straight. I think I can feel them next to a pond, so they're in a park with a pond. Other than that it's just trial and error."

Lisanna walked around a couple that had stopped to stare at the strange man walking along a fence, rushing back to beside the railings immediately after.

"Can you not tell them to come and find us?"

She was met with silence, and looked up to see Bickslow staring down at her before he jumped another gap. They had come to a corner and he span around the lamp post before his feet found purchase on the railing on the other side.

"And drag them away from their fun? You are heartless, Lisanna. Heartless."

Lisanna shook her head. Even before she went to Edolas, she had never met anyone that could twists someone's words against them like Bickslow could. She could remember him driving the other guild members insane in the rare moments he was back at the guild.

"You know, it's amazing how close you are with them. It's almost as if you can read each others minds."

Bickslow sighed, before jumping off the railing and joining Lisanna on the floor. One arm slid around her shoulders before resting heavily there. He pulled her closer to his chest and fell into step with her.

"Yeah. I guess. Hey, any ideas where they could be?"

His voice sounded sad for a second, before it returned to his normal joking cadence. Lisanna moved her arm to rest around his back, laughing as his cape fell over her body and almost obscured her entirely.

"Are you sure it's a pond and not the river? There are plenty of parks where the river runs through them."

Bickslow shook his head, laughing out loud as he did. The noise reverberated around the street and many of the citizens around them turned to look at him. The Raijinshuu was still pretty elusive within Magnolia, and not many people knew what to think of the man dressed as a night laughing so hard his tongue lolled out. Some of them relaxed when they saw he was with Fairy Tail, but many of them stayed cautious of them.

"It won't be the river. Poppo won't go anywhere near them when I'm not there."

Lisanna was about to ask, but thought better of it when Bickslow started laughing again. They could find the totems first, and then she would ask him why Poppo was apparently afraid of running water.

"Well, the only park in Magnolia that has a pond and not the river is the one behind Gray's house. Which is… this way."

She adjusted the both of them until the walked down another road, and Bickslow pulled away from her when she saw a set of balconies running along the houses, two stories up. He ran and jumped until he grabbed on the ledge, pulling himself up so he could run along the railings again. Lisanna sighed, transforming into her bird soul so she could fly alongside him and keep up the conversation.

"So… how do you know where Gray lives?"

Bickslow's tone was full of humour, but she could detect some genuine curiosity behind it as well. She flapped her wings a few times to keep her in the air before responding.

"I do work at the bar, you know. I know where everyone lives. At least their address, if not exactly where it is in relation to everywhere else."

Bickslow broke into a run in order to jump the gap in between the balconies, and Lisanna's heart dropped for a moment before his feet landed firmly on the railing on the other side.

"Hey, so does that mean you know where Laxus lives?"

Lisanna paused for a second, before giggling. She had always assumed that the Raijinshuu of all people would know where the lightning mage lived.

"Do you mean that you don't?"

Bickslow shook his head, pouting as he tried to avoid some of the plant pots that residents had attached to their balconies.

"So… funny story about that. Me and Freed got really drunk one night, and it was too far to get back home. So we went to Laxus' house. When he woke up he found me in his wardrobe, but I think he took more of an exception to Freed being in his bed. He moved out the next day and refuses to tell us where to."

Lisanna laughed so hard she careened into one of the balconies as she imagined Laxus waking up to find Bickslow passed out curled up in a tiny little wardrobe. As soon as she straightened out, she made sure to put on a serious face before telling Bickslow something that would make his pain even worse.

"I'm pretty sure Freed knows where Laxus lives. He's the guy we call whenever Laxus is too injured or too drunk to make it home alone."

Bickslow froze on the last balcony, looking down at the floor as if he was judging something. Lisanna thought it was far too high up for him to jump off, but she was soon corrected.

"That bastard!"

Bickslow jumped off the balcony, turning a flip in the air and coming up in a roll. Lisanna landed gracefully next to him, and he seamlessly wormed his arm around her back again, making sure that his cape covered her up again.

"So… you'll tell me where he lives, right, Lisanna?"

Lisanna shook her head, she was not up to being beaten up by Laxus any time soon. Bickslow groaned sadly into her ear and poked at the bottom of her ribs and she knew she would be telling him eventually. She'd just have to find a way to do it without Laxus knowing it was her. She was about to open her mouth to explain it to him when a force hit them from behind. Lisanna jumped, transforming into her cat soul instantaneously, but Bickslow took it in his stride. One of the totems floated in front of her face, and Lisanna calmed down as she realised just who it was.

"Hey, Lisanna, looks like they found us!"


	13. Chapter 13

"Papa! Lissy!"

Lisanna laughed as all of the totems hit into them over and over again, shrieking in excitement as they did. She opened her arms up wide and tried to hug them, but they were too animated for her to hold them still for too long. They bounced off some of the bruises Bickslow had left earlier, making her wince slightly. Bickslow noticed and drew the babies closer to him, laughing as they bounced off the whole of his body.

"I'm so proud of you guys, you found us! But I thought we were supposed to be going to the park?"

The babies all gasped in shock before zooming straight up into the air and disappearing over the top of the building next to them. Bickslow laughed as his eyes followed them up and he broke away from Lisanna's arm in order to take a run up at the wall. His feet hit it a couple of times before his arms shot up, grabbing onto the bottom of the balcony on the first floor. His elbows flexed and he pulled himself up onto the railing, before jumping up to his next target. Lisanna giggled as he started to make his way up the wall railing by railing, and transformed her arms so she could fly up next to him. He stood on the highest railing, ran along it for a couple of steps before taking a leap and pulling himself up onto the roof. As soon as his feet touched the surface he started to sprint across the roof, following his babies and vaulted to the next roof along. Lisanna sped up in order to fly behind the babies, all five of them spinning around each other in excitement.

"Are you going to wait for him, guys?"

The babies all slowed for a second, and a few of them even spun around she assumed to look at Bickslow, but then they sped up again and carried on flying in the direction they had been heading in before. Lisanna looked behind her at where Bickslow was running across a pole that spanned between the two buildings, arms thrown out either side to keep his balance. She hung in the air for him to catch up before keeping pace with him when he didn't stop.

"Do you want me to carry you? I can keep up with them"

Bickslow shook his head, continuing on his path and speaking like he hadn't just been doing intense physical exercise for the last few minutes.

"Nah, it's better like this. They keep me on my toes. Otherwise, I might get rusty, you know?"

Lisanna smiled as he leapt another obstacle and continued following the babies. She could see they were heading straight towards the park she had suspected they just left.

"Why did they come back?"

Bickslow had just jumped off the roof, flipping on the way down and coming up in a roll on a shorter building on the other side. He took the fall in his stride, continuing to run in the uncoordinated way he always had done.

"I think they felt me looking for them so came to find us. I asked them why they weren't at the park, they remembered the park exists and now we're running across rooftops to play in the park with them. Reckon they're going to the one behind Gray's house?"

Lisanna watched the totems drop behind some trees that she knew lay at the edge of the park and nodded. Bickslow laughed again, throwing himself off the final roof to land in the closest tree. Lisanna's breath caught in her throat for a minute before she saw him drop to the floor, vault one of the chest high walls that surrounded the park and finally reunite with his totems.

The little wooden dolls flew around, shrieking incoherently at such a high pitch Lisanna was close to not being able to hear it at all. They rushed around his head, and he spoke to them between their noises.

"Yes… No, I'm sure she knows how to play… I am not explaining the rules to her! Sulk all you want… you'll have to ask her nicely, I'm not asking her for you… Yes, Pippi, I'm sure she knows how to count…"

Lisanna watched the babies a bit longer, remembering all of the times she had watched them play hide and seek around the guild to know what they were trying to do. She moved over to the tree that Bickslow had jumped out of, covered her eyes and leant her head against the bark.

"One… Two…"

There was a moment of silence before she heard all the babies shriek even louder than before and felt the rush of air as a couple of them flew past her. She sensed Bickslow coming to rest his back on the tree next to her.

"They want to play hide and seek with you."

Lisanna chuckled as he kissed her hand where it covered her face, before continuing with her counting.

"Four… Five… I know, Bickslow. I figured that out. Eight… Nine…"

She jumped slightly as she felt him turn around and press up against her back, hands resting on the tree either side of her head. His mouth dropped down to her neck and she flinched away from the cold of his helmet.

"Well, if you actually listened to me, I was going to tell you- you don't need to count. They don't understand that bit."

Lisanna paused for a moment as she felt his teeth graze her skin before sighing. She reached her hand up to his head and tugged on the back of his hood. He pulled away with a groan before she turned around in his arms. She was about to scold him for ignoring his babies before she saw a totem floating right behind his head.

"Puppu! I found you!"

The totem shrieked, rushing over to her and bouncing against her arm. She picked them up and cradled them before they wriggled free and flew off again.

"Are you going to help me find the others, Bickslow?"

The Sieth mage was pouting in front of her, and she ducked under his arm in order to go on her search for his other totems.

The first she could see resting on the floor underneath the slide and she lay down on top of it and poked her head over the side in order to look at them.

"Found you, Pappa!"

The totem shrieked and sped away from under the slide to its next hiding place. Lisanna wasn't sure how they worked their own version of the game, but it seemed like they would just go and continue hiding until they got bored.

She jumped off the slide and ran up to the top of the play castle it was attached to. It was too late in the day for any children to be around, so they had the whole park to themselves. She found Peppe hidden in a small corner in the tower of the castle and snuck up behind them.

"Found you Peppe!"

The doll in front of her shrieked, but so did another in a tree across the park. Two babies came flying out and spun around each other before shooting off to hide again. Lisanna was confused for a second before realising that Pippi had misheard her and jumped down from the castle to find her next totem.

She found them at the foot of the slide, at the bottom of a foot deep hole they had made by spinning around in the sand there. She reached down to get them out and laughed when she saw their face.

"Puppu? Again?"

The totem made a sad noise and flew off again, this time heading over to Bickslow. Lisanna felt guilty for a second, the totem obviously felt upset that they had been found twice in such a short period of time. She realised she had to be more careful with finding the babies, and started to walk around slowly. She ignored Pappa balancing on one of the branches of a tree close to her and made her way back over to Bickslow.

"I thought we were both supposed to be entertaining the babies together, Bicks."

He was still leaning back against the tree, one leg bent up so his foot resting against it. He smirked over at her, a sight that shot excitement through her body. There was just something about that expression that made her fall even more in love with him.

"But you seemed to be doing such a good job by yourself…"

Lisanna crossed her arms and stared at him, but something forced her eyes down to his waist. She could see something moving around under his clothes and she laughed at the sight.

"Bickslow… Is that a baby under there or are you just happy to see me?"

He looked down at his waist and back up to her, the smirk somehow growing on his face. He bit his lower lip and crossed his arms over his chest.

"No, Lisanna. I'm not looking to go for round five right now. We're supposed to be playing with the babies, stop staring at my junk."

Lisanna stared right at his mask and made sure he could see her roll her eyes. She walked over to him, using transformation magic to make herself taller so she could place her hands either side of his head.

"You're the one who said that your body is always willing. Now, if you excuse me, I need to grab your wood."

Bickslow leered at her, pushing himself off the tree to show he wasn't intimidated. He was intrigued by the amount of height she had gained and wanted to explore it further but right now he wanted to see how far she would go.

"Calm down, Lisanna. You should know that I am a father first and a sex fiend second. And right now we are… what are you doing?"

Her hands had started to move their way down his chest and her fingers had started to play with the top of his belt. He swallowed his teasing and his back hit the tree again as she moved her head close to his ear.

"Listen to me carefully, Bickslow. I am going to reach down into your trousers and take your wood from…"

Bickslow twisted his head around, simultaneously grabbing hold of her hair to hold her still as he took her mouth in his, stopping her from speaking. His hands left her head and grabbed onto her waist, pulling her onto him so her hands were crushed in between the two of them. He pulled away from her mouth and stared into her eyes.

"Woman, you are driving me insane. Unless you want to tell me you have a kink for fucking outside we had better stop right now."

Lisanna smiled in a way that made his heart stop, and he felt her lips press against his again. Her fingers made their way to the buckle of his belt and he fumbled around with it, keeping her mouth pressed against his. She dropped his belt to the ground, before he suddenly crumbled to his knees underneath her, yelling in pain.

"WHAT THE FUCK!? Puppu! Why!?"

Lisanna stepped back to see Bickslow on the ground holding onto his crotch as he curled up on the grass. His wrap had fallen with his belt and she could see it move slightly as the totem moved underneath it.

"Hiding! Papa Helping!"

Lisanna couldn't hold back her laugh as Bickslow rolled on the ground in pain. The little doll must have flown in between his legs with quite a force to bring tears to his eyes. She crouched next to him and put a hand on his shoulder, but she couldn't stop the giggling. Bickslow groaned in pain, rolling onto his back and looking up at her.

"Fine. I see where your priorities lie. And everyone thinks you're just a sweet little girl, but you're just a sadist."

Lisanna fell back to sit on the ground and held out her hands for Bickslow to take, giggling as he turned his nose up at it. Lisanna spoke between snickers, trying to calm herself as much as possible.

"I'm sorry. Do you want me to kiss it better?"

Bickslow stopped groaning almost instantly and turned to face her. She could see his eyes flash green underneath his mask and wondered if it was from pain or excitement at what she had just suggested. Before she could ask she heard a shriek, and Puppu appeared right in front of her. Lisanna looked in confusion for a second before grabbing onto the wooden doll.

"Do you want a kiss from me?"

Puppu squirmed about in her grasp, screaming in excitement.

"Lissy Kiss!"

She brought the doll up to her mouth and kissed the tiny mouth that was carved onto the front. The wood was a lot warmer than she expected and she giggled as the doll shook in her hands. Puppu shrieked again before flying off, and Lisanna was about to move to kiss Bickslow on the mask before she heard more voices around her.

"Lissy kiss! Lissy kiss!"

All five dolls were flying around her, all squeaking in excitement. She went through each of them, giving them all a kiss in turn. Bickslow groaned on the floor, realising that his chance at flirting was disappearing away from him as Lisanna started to cuddle all of the dolls at once. He stood up, grabbing his wrap off the floor and starting to put it back on.

"Great. Now even the babies are getting more action than me."

* * *

 **A/N - Once again a massive thank you to Gajeelswoman for beta-ing this for me. She is wonderful and f you haven't check out her fics go do it right now.**

 **Also, a huge thanks to the wonderful Kmmcm for the cover photo. Go and check her out on Tumblr, she has some incredible artwork up there!**


	14. Chapter 14

Lisanna had been left on her own in the small cafe for about five minutes before it hit her. She had got this all wrong, all back to front. She had never been a whole "no sex before marriage" kind of girl, but up until the last week she had always assumed she would meet a nice man, get talking to him, go on a couple of dates and then lose her virginity to him in a romantic scenario maybe including candles and rose petals. Instead, she had fucked this man four times before they had even been on a date, and probably would have stayed in his bed for much longer if he hadn't had needed to go and fetch his totems.

She had been ready to do it, sure, but there was something still nagging at the back of her mind that she had got it wrong. A voice that sounded strangely like Mira, chastising her for jumping into someone's bed straight away. She had known Bickslow from before she went to Edolas sure, but not well. Her mind flicked to all of her guildmates, working through each one in order.

Cana always went straight to fucking, right? She had had so many guys and girls in her bed since she got back from Edolas Lisanna had lost count. She shook her head. Cana was different, sure she had a lot of different people but she never wanted to keep them. Lisanna wanted something more with Bickslow, she wasn't sure what, but she didn't want it to be a one night stand and she was pretty sure he didn't want it to be either. Surely if he did he would have had sex with her straight away?

Levy hadn't been able to get anywhere with Gajeel yet, but it wasn't for lack of trying from what she was aware. She had heard whispers from her guildmates of the history between the two of them, and she would have thought it was a relationship doomed to failure but not so. Despite them not being an item yet, they had been getting closer for quite a while and if Lisanna thought correctly they would be getting it on pretty soon. Apart from the start of the relationship, the rest was almost perfect and Lisanna would have wanted something like that if she had the chance. Maybe she could have done if she hadn't run head first into this situation like she always did.

"Kiss for them?"

Lisanna jumped as Bickslow leant over her back, placing a sundae on the table in front of her before making his way over to his chair with his. His ice cream was about twice the size of hers and he placed it carefully down on the table as he retrieved a beer that had been floating along on one of the totems. Lisanna grabbed her spoon before looking up at him, tilting her head in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

She giggled at the flying dessert spoon that Bickslow had enchanted from the next table along, the couple there seeming not to notice their missing cutlery. It speared straight into his food and he sighed before his eyes flashed green and the soul went back into Poppo's body.

"I'll kiss you if you tell me what you're thinking right now."

Lisanna watched as he batted away the totems from his food, trying to keep an eye on all five of them at once.

"I was wondering why they are all so excited over Ice Cream when they can't eat it."

Bickslow picked up his beer and took a long drink out of it, before smacking Pippi out of his ice cream with the back of his hand.

"Well, our consciousness are all linked. I get excited over ice cream, because it's fucking great, and thus they get excited over ice cream."

Lisanna giggled as Peppe gave up trying to get Bickslow's ice cream and flew over to her, landing on the table next to her. She scooped some of the whipped cream from the top of her sundae with her finger, before putting it onto their nose. They shrieked in excitement, lifting off again and starting to fly around Bickslow's head.

"Does that mean that you were getting super excited about playing in the park earlier?"

Lisanna giggled through her sentence again, she really could imagine Bickslow getting thrilled over the idea of getting to play around in a park. The Sieth mage took another drink out of his beer before sending Puppu off with come jewels balanced on top to get another one.

"Sure. Hey, look at that."

His arm reached over her right shoulder, and she turned to try and see what he was pointing at. Her eyes moved over the small café, with only one or two patrons still left in there as the waitress prepared to close for the night. She could see Puppu heading back with Bickslow's beer, but nothing out of the ordinary. She turned around to question him, but her thoughts were scrambled when her mouth smashed into his. Her mouth opened as his tongue pushed into it, cold and tasting of a weird mixture of chocolate ice cream and beer. She squeaked in surprise and he pulled away with a pop before laughing with his almost manic laugh that often rang around the guildhall. He dived back into his ice cream, eating through it quickly while interspersing his bites with his beer.

"Eat up, kitten. I wanna show you something cool."

* * *

They walked along the street arm in arm as the babies flew around them, chattering happily between themselves. Bickslow had thrown his cape around her and had pulled her right into his side to share his body heat. The sun had set already, and there was a chill to the wind as Bickslow led her into central Magnolia. There were still the occasional couples milling around on the Cathedral Square, and Bickslow pulled her into an alcove as Gray and Juvia walked past. The other couple were obviously on the lookout for people they knew as Juvia wrapped her arms around Gray and Lisanna was surprised they hadn't noticed the sore thumb that was Bickslow walking through the town. Bickslow looked down at her, tongue sticking out of his mouth as he pressed his index finger to her lips to try and stop her giggling. As soon as they were in the all clear Bickslow pulled them back out into the open, heading for the graveyard behind the Cathedral.

"Are you embarrassed of me then, Bickslow?"

Lisanna said it in jest, but Bickslow froze anyway. He looked down at her, saw the smile that covered her face and broke away from her to look up the wall of the cathedral. There was no one around this side, leaving them in complete solitude.

"Sure, if you say so. But I also didn't want to have to stand around while that idiot stumbled through trying to tell us that they are in no way dating and it's just a coincidence they're together all the time. Right. Follow me!"

He took a run up towards the wall, heading to an alcove which ran up the full height of the cathedral, jumping into the one wall before jumping back to the other and making his way up in that fashion until he was able to grab onto the roof at the top. Lisanna craned her neck to see him pull himself up with his arms and disappear over the ledge as all of his babies left her and zoomed up the wall and vanished as well. She decided against trying to parkour her own way up the building and instead transformed her arms into wings, flying up to the roof of the cathedral to see Bickslow lying there on his back, grinning wildly with feet wedged in between two roof tiles to stop himself from sliding off. His babies were floating around him slowly, and she drifted down to land by the side of him. She was about to join him when he held his hands up, signalling for her to lay down on top of him.

"I'll hold you up and keep you safe, babe. Just come to Bickslow."

She blushed at his choice of words before straddling his hips, before allowing her body to rest down on top of his. He immediately wrapped his arms around her, covering her completely in his cape as she wound her fingers under his hood to start to play with his hair. He moaned in pleasure, the noise reverberating through his chest and into her ear and she could feel his cock growing underneath her. She pulled her head up, resting it against his mask as she stared through and saw the rough outline of his eyes and tattoo underneath.

"Really, Bickslow? On a place of worship?"

He tilted his head to kiss her, moving his hands down to rest on her backside and gripping onto it tightly. She could taste the beer he had been drinking on his tongue but allowed herself to melt into the kiss anyway. He crushed her to him, but after a few moments she looked up to see the babies still just hovering in the air around them, not going as insane as they had before.

"Why aren't your babies freaking out that we're kissing?"

Bickslow dropped his head back down onto the roof tiles and he smiled up at her. His babies floated off to the edge of the roof, lining up on a ledge and looking out over the city.

"Well, I had a conversation with them earlier and told them to stop being little bitches about it."

Lisanna giggled to herself, before turning back around to look at the man beneath her. She transformed her eyes into her cat eyes to give her better night vision and placed her forehead back onto his mask, looking through to see his eyes staring back. With her improved eyesight, she could see a blush starting to dust over his cheeks and snorted.

"Hi."

Lisanna's snort turned into full blown giggles, recognising what he did whenever he got shy around her in the short amount of time she had been spending close to him.

"Why are you nervous, you dork? It's only me."

His blush increased, and he closed his eyes. She wondered whether it was something he did whenever he was nervous and she had just never been able to see it before with his mask covering his face. It dawned on her it was probably to keep his eyes in control and decided to pull her face away and bury it in his neck, disappointed at the amount of fabric there stopping her from finding his skin.

"I'm sorry, I think you would be nervous too if the most beautiful woman on the planet was straddling you."

Lisanna giggled as she tried to push Bickslow's mask up, but he pulled his head away from her. She lifted her own head, starting to leave kisses along his skin where his mask ended.

"Well, I don't know about that, but I do have an incredible, handsome, sexy man between my legs."

Bickslow turned his head to catch her mouth in his, kissing her more desperately than he had before. She wound her hands back under his hood, tugging on his hair and making him groan into her mouth. She crushed her body down on top of him as he pressed downwards with his hands almost as if he was trying to melt her into him. He bit onto her lower lip, and she returned the moan back into his mouth. Her tongue battled with his and she felt his hands worm their way down the back of her jeans, palms hot against her skin as they gripped onto her. She pulled her mouth away from his, breathing heavily just from the few minutes she had been kissing him.

"Bickslow, we can't fuck here. You're too drunk. It wouldn't be responsible."

He pouted underneath her and shot his mouth up to try and kiss her, but she moved away. His head hit the roof hard enough that Lisanna was worried for a second before he spoke up.

"I'm not drunk at all. Look. Z, Y, X…"

Lisanna's hands shot down from his hair and started tickling just below his ribs. He shrieked, a noise that she hoped beyond all hope that no one heard and came to investigate, before descending into a fit of giggles. She placed a kiss on his cheek, waiting for him to calm before becoming impatient and covering his mouth with hers. She waited until he started to kiss her back, before pulling away again.

"You sure you're still sober, you drunk? Plus, in all honesty, my grave is right down there and that would just be weird."

Bickslow's giggling stopped and he pulled his hands out of her pants before pulling her to lie beside him, head resting on his chest, making sure to hold onto her tight so she didn't begin to slide. His cape still covered the both of them entirely and provided padding against the hard tiling of the roof.

"Come and cuddle me then. We can watch the stars together, that's romantic, yeah?"

Lisanna giggled, curling up in his arms and starting to draw shapes across his stomach and chest with her fingers.

"Do you bring all of your dates up here then?"

She heard Bickslow scoff above her, tightening his arm and pulling her closer to his chest. She felt a kiss press against the top of her head as his right arm joined his left in pinning her to him.

"Well, seeing as this is the first date I've ever been on, only time will tell."

Lisanna couldn't explain it, but she felt a warm feeling wash over her when she realised that she was Bickslow's first girl. She felt his arms squeeze around her, the warmth of his cape fighting off the cold of the night air and settled in for a night of watching the stars.

* * *

They had managed to lay in silence for much longer than Lisanna expected, taking Bickslow's lack of attention span into consideration. He had been stroking her arm with his hand as she continued to draw nonsense on his torso.

"Tell me about Edolas."

Lisanna froze as the question came out of nowhere. Her fingers started to resume their patterns again, slower than they had been moving before as she tried to figure out just what to say. She didn't talk about Edolas often, no one really asked her. Apart from the first few weeks of Mira and Elfman staring at her, the S Class trials and the Grand Magic Games had filled everyone's minds completely, and the other world had slipped from their thoughts. She could sense Bickslow starting to fidget underneath her and knew that if she didn't talk soon he would notice that she had gone silent.

"What do you want to know?"

There was a whole other world to talk about, and at least this way she could narrow it down and tell him what he was actually interested in so he didn't get too bored with her. If she wanted she could talk for hours, but she doubted Bickslow would lie still for that long.

"Well, I know about the other Natsu, Lucy, Gajeel and Levy. I know about your siblings, but no one has ever talked about us. I want you to know about the Raijinshuu."

His voice was soft and reverberated through his chest and into her ear. He sounded… upset, but she shook it off. The Raijinshuu were difficult, though. She had heard about what the Earthland team had done while she was gone, but their Edolas counterparts were on a whole other level.

"Are you sure? The Edolas versions of people have a whole different history, a whole other story. They're not necessarily…"

She heard a giggled from above her, and his hand started to smooth circles over her back. She would never have thought Bickslow to be comforting, but her little sanctuary within his arms, and his cape, made her feel like the world could come down around them and she would be safe.

"Look, I don't care if I'm dead. I know some of the guild members were, Gajeel told me. But he said he never saw us. I just want to know what they were like. I'm not gonna judge you whatever you say."

Lisanna sighed, knowing she wasn't going to get out of this. She usually didn't mind talking about Edolas, but the Raijinshuu…

"They were Mercenaries. Paid muscle taking jobs whenever and wherever they could. They weren't a part of Fairy Tail, that's why no one saw them. They weren't around when the Anima sucked all of this world's wizards in.

"They did visit Fairy Tail a lot, though, and some of the newer guild members wanted them to join the guild, to help fight against the military. They always seemed to know where we were, whether it was Laxus' tactical prowess or Bickslow's skills I don't know."

Bickslow was about to ask what exactly his counterparts skills were, but Lisanna continued. He was enjoying listening to her voice, along with the stories it was telling, and settled for just closing his eyes and holding her close to him.

"Laxus was actually a part of the Thunder Legion. People said he got his lightning scar in a fight, and that's what led to the name. I don't believe the stories, though. Laxus never fought. He was quiet and was the tactician of the whole group. He helped Levy develop the guild's teleporter, writing what was needed to randomise where the guild went, along with finding safe places for us to go to. He did all the negotiations as well. He was naturally pretty shy, but you wouldn't know that if the only saw him talking business. He could sell a flying potion to an exceed. But he couldn't fight, not to save his life. The rest of the Raijinshuu were actually his bodyguards, not just glorified cheerleaders."

Bickslow smiled at her comparison. He had heard it many times before, and it really didn't bother him. Four mages were always better than one, after all.

"Freed was… I guess you could say he was the muscle, and he was a drunk. Think Bacchus, but somehow worse. But he was a master of any weapon you threw at him. He was proficient with axes, swords, hand to hand combat. If you came face to face with him, you wouldn't live for long. He commissioned Levy to make him a weapon, kind of like the sword he has now but it had a gun attached to it. I saw him stab one of the Royal Guards in the eyes, then pull the trigger and splatter her brains across the wall. He was boisterous, always talking enough for everyone else and drinking with Lucy and Shadow Gear. I always wondered how he didn't go mad on a team with three other people who barely spoke.

"Evergreen was the master of stealth, and disguise. The first time I saw her I didn't recognise her, she was wearing these torn clothes and was dirty as if she had been living on the street for years. She spoke a lot with Elfman, Mira and me, she was quiet and shy but nice enough. I never really understood how she did what she did. I couldn't believe she killed people until she brought a man into the guild while all dolled up and slipped a pill into his drink. His death was slow, and it was horrible. He couldn't scream without foam filling his mouth, and at the end he begged for one of us to put him out of his misery. And she just stood and watched. None of us dared helped him. When it was over Laxus walked in, picked up the guy and took him off to collect the bounty on his shoulders. Later on, I found out he was wanted dead or alive, she didn't have to kill him. She just did it for fun."

Lisanna fell silent, and Bickslow stared up at the stars, wondering if Edolas was up there somewhere. He didn't remember anything of the other world but often daydreamed of the other universe that those who did described.

"Do you miss them?"

He felt the girl in his arms freeze again, and rubbed both of his hands in unison, over her shoulder and her lower back, trying to comfort her. He thought he had put his foot in it and was about to tell her that she didn't have to answer when she spoke softly, in a voice barely audible to him.

"Yes. I do. I miss them fiercely. I spent two years with them, I fought with them and I held some in my arms as they took their last breaths. No matter what world you're in, Fairy Tail is still family."

Bickslow closed his eyes again, swallowing heavily as he remembered what he had done to his own family in his past. His mind focused in on Lisanna's patterns, wishing for the first time that he wasn't wearing so many fucking clothes so he could feel her nails against his skin.

"Were they your family? The Thunder Legion, I mean?"

Lisanna let a laugh erupt from her mouth without meaning to. She had never been asked that before, she had never really been asked about the Thunder Legion before, and it was nothing she had ever even thought about.

"No. They were Mercenaries. We gave them somewhere safe to hide out and do business, but in the end, all they really cared about was money. If someone names the right price they would have turned on us without batting an eyelid. And we wouldn't have stood a chance against them. You have to remember Laxus thought of every eventuality, and they wouldn't have announced that they were turning on us. They would have walked in one day, and walked out when the job was done."

Lisanna felt the chuckle in Bickslow's chest and looked up to see him with his head tilted back, the sharp lines of his face contrasting against the cape that covered his body. She looked back down to his torso and started to draw his tattoo over and over on his abs.

"At least money is a good reason. Puts food on the table, a roof over your head. I turned on the guild for nothing but fun."

Lisanna closed her eyes, feeling guilty that she had even brought it up. Even when she got back people still whispered about what the Thunder Legion had done, still not really trusting the trio. Sure she had learned of the saga second hand, but that was no excuse for the poor way she had worded her sentence.

"You did it for Laxus, not…"

"No."

His voice was louder than she expected and she jumped in his arms. He squeezed her protectively and she melted back into his grasp. His voice dropped back down to a whisper, barely louder than the breeze that had started to pick up around them.

"Freed did it for Laxus. Ever did it for her stupid obsession of becoming Queen of the Fairies. I did it because I was fucking bored. I know my past, I know my reasons. You don't need to make excuses for me. The fight got boring, and I ducked out. Evergreen had been beaten by Erza, Freed was fighting Mirajane and we had been told to leave the Dragon Slayers to Laxus. There was no one left to fight, and Lucy without her keys is boring. So, I let her beat me and I got the fuck out of there. I was halfway across the country when Freed found me and told me we hadn't been kicked out."

Lisanna pressed her body into his, enjoying his warmth against her skin. She didn't want to ask, but she had to.

"You really would have abandoned Fairy Tail, just like that?"

Bickslow didn't answer, and she worried that she had overstepped the mark. She didn't know what to say. Should she tell him he didn't need to worry? She couldn't say he hadn't done anything wrong because he had. She couldn't tell him everyone had forgiven him because it wasn't her place to say. So she stayed silent, hoping she hadn't ruined their relationship so soon after it had started, and waited for him to make the next move. It wasn't long before she felt his lips press against the top of her head, and speak into her hair.

"Did I still have my tattoo?"

"Huh?"

Lisanna ruffled her eyebrows in confusion. What was he talking about? She tilted her head to look at him, and he kissed her forehead gently until the wrinkles disappeared. She felt his arm leave her, and seconds later he was tapping on his mask.

"Edolas me. Did I have my tattoo?"

Lisanna looked back down his body as his arm returned to her waist. She thought she had got him off the conversation, but obviously not.

"You know, I have no idea. I never saw his face, I never heard him speak. Bickslow was an enigma. Everyone else in the Thunder Legion had such well-defined roles, but he was just… there. Whenever they negotiated with a client, whenever they were just hiding out for the heat on them to cool down he was in the same corner, always watching. For a year the only thing I knew about him was that he was ridiculously good at finding people, and making them disappear."

"Killing them?"

Lisanna shook her head, slightly annoyed that her tale had been interrupted.

"Not necessarily, although some I'm sure he did. No, if someone came to the guild needing to be… relocated, you sent them to Bickslow. They would negotiate with Laxus, and then they would follow Bickslow out of the guild and we would never see the client again. He found the bounties too, I think. And I don't know how, but I'm sure that he knew I wasn't the right Lisanna. Just the way he looked at me, you know? But then I found something else out about him. He always carried this huge bag with him, and it clinked as he walked. One of the newer guild members, I didn't even have time to learn their name, knocked into him and he dropped it. I saw inside, it was full of bottles each containing different colours of liquids, and ingredients for who knows what. I never saw that guild member again after that."

Lisanna paused, wondering how far she should go with this. When Bickslow didn't react to anything she had said, she continued. He wanted to know.

"And then, about a month before I returned, the Raijinshuu pulled in a tonne of cash from this big job. Freed got plastered, drunker than I had ever seen him before, and I asked about Bickslow. I was curious. No one really seemed to know about him, no one acknowledged him. After I bothered Mira for information she finally broke down and told me that he supplied health potions to the guild, but no one wanted to drink them unless they were about to die. No one trusted him. Freed was so drunk I don't think he even knew who he was talking to, and so he told me. Bickslow had been in the Royal Army, once. He was a scientist, a researcher. He had discovered something and gone to the palace to get funding but they denied it on ethical grounds. He needed money to fund his research and what better way to do it than to lend his skills to a Mercenary group. Freed said he showed up at one of their most secretive locations one day and demanded to speak to Laxus. From that day on he had been one of them. I was plying him with more alcohol, and I asked him what exactly Bickslow had been researching, but when he looked up he froze. He was staring at a spot right behind me, and then when I turned around Bickslow was standing over me, just staring. He was completely silent, as always, and he just continued staring at us until Freed stumbled out the door and Mira pulled me away.

"The next day we heard news of the demise of the only other dark guild left. They had been taken down overnight, and there wasn't a single guild member left. The weirdest thing was, there weren't any signs of a struggle at all. And Sabertooth was a strong guild, as I'm sure you know. It wasn't until the Thunder Legion came in a week later that Evergreen told us what had happened. Freed had been close with a few members of that guild, one in particular. He had gone to bed with him the night that we discussed Bickslow. Now, Bickslow was ruthless, but he wasn't stupid. Freed had crossed him but he wasn't about to take out their muscle. So he sent him a warning. Ever said Freed had woken up that day and all was left of his boyfriend was his head… Shit. It was Rufus. He killed Rufus."

Bickslow was silent and frozen solid, but Lisanna was still so enraptured in her own story that she didn't notice. She took a few deep breaths, before continuing on.

"You know, I still think about them. I was there too, I was the reason that Freed told me Bickslow's past. I hope that my disappearing was enough revenge for him, and he didn't hurt Mira or Elfman…"

"You're scared of me."

Lisanna was pulled out of her thoughts by the voice and immediately regretted telling him so much about his counterpart. This was exactly the reason she hated telling people about her guild mates in Edolas.

"No. Not you. You share the same face and the same name but you're not the same person. Trust me, Bickslow, I wouldn't give my soul to you if I thought you were like him."

Bickslow through wide eyes as the green band he had given to her soul intertwined completely with the blue line that denoted her as her. He had seen it happen before when couples decided that they were each other's forever, and he had seen it in his own soul when he decided to give his soul over completely and totally to her. He gulped, not completely sure she knew what she had just done.

"You shouldn't say that to a Sieth mage, you know."

He felt her giggle against his stomach and he swore his heart skipped a beat.

"I chose my wording very precisely, Bickslow. I know what I was implying. But it's true. I don't want anyone but you."

Bickslow grabbed a hold of her head then, not caring how rough he was as he pulled her up into a kiss. He had never needed someone as much as he did in that moment. His thoughts were on her and her entirely, which was probably why he didn't feel her fingers working their way under his belt until it was far too late. Despite having held her safely under his cape, her fingers were icicles as they wrapped around his cock and he shrieked in surprise. His legs automatically curled up into his body to protect him, and the two of them started to slide down the roof before he shot his hand out, grabbing a hold of the roof until he could wedge his feet back in between the roof tiles.

"WOMAN!"

She looked up at him, her blue eyes wide with panic and amusement. A smile started to creep across her face, and the both of them burst into fits of giggles. His babies flew over to them, trying to investigate the sudden wave of fear they had felt rolling off Bickslow, but joined in their laughter when they realised the danger was over.

"We could have died!"

Lisanna looked up at him, laughing even harder at the sense of dramatics he had. She managed to spit out her words in between giggles, clinging onto his torso even tighter than before.

"I can fly, I would have been fine."

Bickslow slammed his head back against the roof, rolling his eyes despite knowing that she couldn't see.

"Then I would have died!"

"Papa dead! Papa dead!"

The babies all screamed in excitement, and Lisanna assumed they didn't quite know what they were saying. Either that or they had no concept of death.

"Stop being so dramatic, Bickslow. I would have caught you."

Bickslow huffed to himself, trying to cross his arms before realising that Lisanna was in the way.

"My babies would have caught me just fine."

Lisanna's giggles had abated, but they came back in full force then. Bickslow looked down at her laughing into his chest and couldn't help but join in. Her voice was muffled by his clothes, but he just about made it out.

"Then what are you complaining for?"

He held her close as they both laughed, not admitting that he was now slightly worried about dropping them both off the roof, and kept holding on after they finished laughing. He relinquished his grip a little as she started to move, straddling his hips again. If the near death experience had reduced his boner at all it was now back in full force when she ground her crotch against him. She leant down over his body and whispered into his ear.

"So… did you want to take me home and see if I fuck on the first date?"

Bickslow nearly choked at her forwardness, and opened and closed his mouth a few times as he tried to stutter out a response. It was a few moments before his brain was fully working again, running on the little blood it had left after the rest had rushed down to his cock.

"Yup… Yup. I should. Erm. Right. Home. I should probably… Hey, can any of your takeovers teleport, by any chance?"

* * *

 **A/N - So... this chapter ran away from me a little. Huge thanks to Gajeelswoman for all of her help with Edolas Raijinshuu... I'm tempted to write a fic for them at some point, would anyone be interested?**

 **Thanks once again for everyone's reviews and comments, each and every one makes me smile *smileyface***


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer - M rated up until the first horizontal line. You have been warned.**

* * *

Lisanna was amazed at the speed that Bickslow's totems could fly, she almost struggled to keep up with them as they zoomed across the sky. Bickslow skipped the pain of going all the way up his stairs by flying straight into his open window, something Lisanna just knew he had done many times before. She managed to squeeze through with her elongated wings, landing gently on the floor while Bickslow stumbled his way over to his room.

"Lisanna, sofa. Babies, bedroom."

Lisanna giggled as she sat herself down on the huge sofa that took up the majority of the living space of the apartment. The babies all protested Bickslow trying to shove them into his room and she twisted around to look at him.

"Did you get that the wrong way round?"

He sighed as he slammed the door shut, grabbing a key off the shelf next to it and slipping it into the keyhole, locking it shut.

"Why do you have a lock on the outside of your door?"

Bickslow shrugged, sprinting back over to her and vaulting over the back of the sofa. He landed heavily next to her, reaching forward to pick up his magic cancelling bracelets that he had discarded on the coffee table earlier.

"Freed thinks he's funny. Now, you've wound me up enough. Get naked."

He reached up to pull of his hood, dropping his mask onto the floor as he did. His hair was still wet from their shower earlier, and stuck in all directions around his head. Lisanna blushed at his blunt words before using her transformation magic to lose her clothes entirely. His mouth gaped open and he was instantly on top of her, mouth finding hers and attacking it roughly. His body pressed down on hers until her back hit the leather of the sofa and he pulled away.

"Well, if that's how you want to do this…"

He grabbed her hands, tugging them roughly above her head with his left hand as he wormed his right between them, undoing his belt and throwing both the leather and the loose fabric that it held up to the floor. He was using his height fully to his advantage, towering over her and covering her with his cape and it made the arousal grow in the base of her stomach. Seconds later he undid his trousers, releasing his cock and shoving into her as far as he could. Lisanna felt him fill her completely and screamed at the pleasure that shot up her spine, before his hand covered her mouth. She looked at him in confusion, one hand covering her mouth and the other pinning her wrists above her head so she was stretched out underneath him.

"While I usually fucking love your screams, you're gonna freak out the babies. You're gonna have to be quiet for this one babe."

Lisanna nodded, eyes wide as she was forced to breathe through her nose. Pleasure was shooting through every inch of her body as he moved inside of her and she didn't know whether she could keep her promise but she couldn't risk him stopping the pure ecstasy she was feeling. His hand left her mouth at the confirmation but it was replaced soon after with his mouth as he started to kiss her roughly. His tongue slipped into her mouth as it battled hers for dominance, and he swallowed the groans that escaped from her throat. His left hand stayed pinning hers to the sofa and his right made it's way down her body, nails digging into her skin as she squirmed underneath him. He grabbed her breast roughly, pinching at her nipple and biting her lip as he felt her constrict around him and scream her orgasm into her mouth.

He slowed as he pulled his mouth from hers, pulling up another bruise on her neck before speaking into her skin.

"Kitten, you drive me fucking insane."

Lisanna arched her back, pressing into him as she wriggled in the tiny space on the sofa to wrap her legs around his hips, digging her ankles into the back of his thighs to try and pull him in deeper. He growled into her skin but obliged. Bickslow placed his hand back over her mouth and she froze as she anticipated something that would make her scream. His own mouth found a spot just under her jawline and bit down, tasting blood in his mouth. He felt her moan into his hand and wished he could have let it escape into the air so he could hear it in all it's glory. She tightened around him again, muscles spasming as she came for the second time and he smiled into her skin, licking the blood off her skin and pushing himself up so he could look into her eyes.

Her face was flushed, hair falling around her head like a halo and blending in perfectly to the white leather of the furniture she was lain on. Her eyes were filled with lust as they peeked out from over his hand and he groaned before bending down to make another mark on her chest, realising that through all of their activities that day there were starting to be more marks than unmarred skin. He spoke against her skin, his one word muffled but still audible.

"Mine."

He felt her smile against his hand, and moved it down so she could speak. His hand made it's way down to her hip and grasping it roughly.

"Yes, Bickslow. I'm yours."

Pure, unadulterated lust overtook him. He had been managing to hold back due to the amount of times they had actually fucked that day, but her words broke that control entirely. He used the leverage his hand on her hip gave him to push deeper into her, moving faster as he was desperate to take all of her again. His mouth found hers as he started to moan and he swallowed each lewd noise she made as she orgasmed around him. His eyes screwed shut as he felt his own orgasm overtake him and he collapsed on top of her. His kissing slowed down slow, gentle and slow as he pulled out of her and adjusted his legs so they were more comfortable on the sofa.

"Hi."

Lisanna giggled at his breathy voice, turning her head to place a kiss against his cheek. Bickslow groaned, letting go of her wrists as he pushed himself up to standing. He dropped his trousers and boxers to the floor, before starting to remove the rest of his clothes.

"Well fuck. Now I need to wash my cape."

The article of clothing in question fell to the floor to be quickly followed by his shirt, and Lisanna started to sit up before he held his hand up for her to stop.

"No. Not yet. You know for all the fucking we've been doing, I haven't had a chance to look at you properly"

Lisanna's skin was already flushed from exhaustion, but it deepened as embarrassment washed over her. Her skin was a tapestry of bruises, from both his mouth and his hands, blooming like black and purple roses across a white canvas. She was so pale she was almost lost in the white of the sofa, but he could see the smooth curves of her body as she lay there, breasts heaving from her recent exertion and full as her hands remained above her head despite the lack of restraints. His eyes wandered down past her waist to her hips and her long legs, before he stepped closer to her, kneeling on the floor as he placed his lips onto her guild mark. Standing up, he flopped back on top of her and wrapped her up in his arms.

"You're fucking beautiful. How did I ever manage to pull someone like you?"

She smiled into his chest, allowing her arms to worm around his back and hold him close. The sofa was spacious, sure, but still far too small for the both of them. She tried to wriggle around on top of him but he held her firm.

"Rest. Shower in a minute, but now rest. I think I might be dead."

* * *

Lisanna grinned as she entered her key into the back door of her house as quietly as she could. She had left Bickslow dozing on his sofa, completely naked as his babies banged on the door of his bedroom to get to sleep next to him. She had smoothed his hair down and woken him up enough to tell him she was leaving, and he moaned at her to let the babies in before she left. They had managed to bring their fucking total up to seven in the shower and she hissed as she bent down to take off her shoes, muscles starting to protest. She transformed into her cat soul, the takeover form allowing her better eyesight in the dark along with additional stealth. She hoped that Mira and Elfman had gone to bed at their normal time, and she could lie and say she had come back much earlier than she did. She got held up by Lucy at the guild. She moved her way through the kitchen, tiles cold on her feet as she ran as quickly as she could without making noise to get to the carpet.

She smirked as she swelled with pride at how easily she had managed to sneak in. She had never had reason to do so before, and she closed her eyes as she imagined all the other times she could use these apparent skills. She turned to make her way up the stairs before running head first into someone coming down. The impact was hard enough she had fallen back on the floor, the shock reverberating through her body and assaulting her already sore muscles.

"FUCK A DUCK!"

Lisanna looked up to see Freed stood above her, a look of pure shock on his face. His hair was loose and hung around his face, his coat and boots in his hand as he was obviously trying to be stealthy in his escape. She started to giggle as he stumbled with his words, trying to put his extra clothes on the floor to help her but ending up just moving awkwardly towards her. Lisanna pulled her paw up to her mouth and giggled into it, the adrenaline that had entered her system mixing with the high she had already been feeling at spending such an extended amount of time with Bickslow stopping her from being able to think straight. Her thoughts were brought back into normalcy as she heard her sisters voice from the top of the stairs.

"Lisanna? Is that you?"

Her sister ran down the stairs as Freed started to make his way to the door, hopping around on one leg to try and get his boots on. Lisanna giggled at the sight, she never thought anyone could be more uncoordinated than Bickslow but here it was. Her sister reached the bottom of the stairs, and held out her hand to help her up.

"Where have you... ARE THOSE HICKEYS!?"

Mira's voice dropped a couple of octaves, and Lisanna froze. Everything moved in slow motion as she looked down at her body. She hadn't bothered to hide them in her transformation, she didn't think she would be seen, and the marks that covered her chest, torso, hips and thighs were blatantly apparent with the tiny bikini she was wearing. She transformed back into her normal clothes and smiled up at her sister, hoping she would calm down. She didn't.

"Were you with Bickslow!?"

The older girl leaned over to flick on a light switch, not caring that the other two mages in the room flinched and covered their eyes. With the added light Lisanna could see the dark aura that surrounded her sister, and absentmindedly tugged her shirt down to try and cover the bruises on the base of her stomach as she stood. Her mind scrambled for an answer that would calm her sister down, and she came up blank.

"Did he give those to you? I'll fucking kill him!"

Lisanna's mind snapped into place, the tone of Mira's voice along with what she was saying about _her_ Bickslow suddenly angering her. It hadn't even been that long ago that Mira had said she supported her decision, and now she was doing this?

"I'm an adult, Mirajane. Who I was with and what I was doing with him is none of your business."

Mira took a step closer to her as Freed looked between the two women with a look of utter terror on his face. Mira's face darkened and if Lisanna didn't know better she would have swore she heard a growl.

"I am your big sister, it is every bit of my business. Bickslow. BICKSLOW!?"

Her hand shot out, grabbing a vase off the shelf before hurling it into the wall beside her in her anger. Freed stepped back in one fluid motion, letting the glass shatter in front of him before continuing watching the fight unfolding before him. He had a feeling his runes would come in handy soon. Lisanna drew herself up, trying to match her sisters height. Mira only had a couple of inches on her but damn did she use it to her advantage. She spoke through gritted teeth, spitting out her words.

"You said you would be supportive of me. You said as long as I was happy…"

"You told me you had just kissed him!" Mira's voice was a full shout now, dropped into the octave Freed usually associated with Satan Soul and not Mira's normal human form. "You didn't say you let him get into your pants the first time he fucking asked! You lied to me!"

Lisanna screamed, voice cracking with anger as she did. She was inches away from Mira now, but the older girl didn't even flinch as her sister yelled in her face.

"I LIED? What about you? You haven't exactly been forthcoming about your love life! How long have you and Freed been knocking boots?"

Freed blushed, starting to take a step back to leave. They might need his runes, but he really didn't want the two Strauss sisters turning on him. Mira's hand snapped out, grabbing hold of his arm and he froze. It appeared he would be staying here.

"That's not what we're talking about. I never lied to you, I just didn't want to tell you because I knew what you would do. 'Why can I never get a boyfriend, Mira? Why does Natsu not love me, Mira? Is it because I'm not beautiful enough?'"

Lisanna screamed with rage. Her sister had crossed a line, bringing up things that she had trusted her with, confided in her about. She pulled her fist back and was about to drive it into her sister's face when someone else came down the stairs, breaking them out of their own little bubble. Evergreen's hair was knotted, her clothes crumpled and an annoyed expression on her face.

"There's no fucking point in trying to sleep if you guys are going to be yelling like this all night. You should stop being so fucking selfish."

The front door opened and closed while Mira and Lisanna simply stared at each other. Freed was about to speak up, before both girls screamed at the top of their voices.

"ELFMAN!"

The man in question appeared at the top of the stairs, pulling pyjama trousers over his hips as he made his way down. He looked tired and his chest was covered in bruises, and Freed blushed as he realised what him and Evergreen had been doing in his room.

"Nope. No. No one here should be surprised that Evergreen is in my room. What the fuck is going on down here?"

Mira turned around to her brother, gesturing wildly to Lisanna as she did. Lisanna stood with her hands on her hips, anger having dissipated with the interruption. Freed looked awkwardly between the three of them, slowly realising just how dirty the Strauss siblings fought as Mira spoke.

"She's been fucking Bickslow behind our back!"

Lisanna was about to speak again when Elfman interrupted, a mixture of anger and disgust covering his face.

"Lisanna! Why him? He's not a real man!"

Mira growled, spinning to face Elfman entirely as Freed backed away. Between him and the three Strauss it was getting incredibly packed between the stairway and the door, but Lisanna was blocking the escape route through to the lounge. The only way he was going to be able to escape was out the front door, but the way things were going he was worried to. All three of the mages in front of him were powerful, and if this fight were to escalate the entire house may come down. If his runes could stop that, then he had to stay.

"Elfman! That's not the fucking issue here!"

Lisanna spoke up as well, interrupting anything Elfman was going to say in response. He really was terrifyingly large in close quarters.

"If we're talking about manliness, why are you not annoyed at Mira's Victorian Secret?"

Freed wasn't annoyed at the insult, he was more than used to it, but when he saw Mira's hair start to defy gravity, along with anything in the vicinity that wasn't tied down he found out that she was. For the first time he realised that he might actually be making things worse, and reached towards the door handle behind him.

"Maybe it's best if I…"

"Freed. Don't you fucking move." The Rune Mage froze as Mira's voice cut through him, despite all of her anger being directed at her little sister. Her eyes were dark as she growled out her words.

"That was uncalled for. You don't need to bring him into this. What the fuck as he done to you?"

Lisanna looked guilty for a second, and stared down at the floor. It was true, Freed hadn't done anything to hurt her, apart from alerting her siblings to her coming in late and that wasn't technically his fault. Elfman was still stumbling with trying to work out what he was feeling about the new information he just found out. He didn't like it, but he couldn't quite say exactly why. He was tired, he was angry, and his brain wasn't working in a way to allow him to form a proper argument.

"He attacked the guild! He's a traitor!"

Freed stiffened. He knew that this was only going to go one way, and when a dark aura of magic appeared around Lisanna he realised that the young girl was more like her sister than he ever thought.

"How fucking stupid are you, Elfman!? The woman you don't think we know you've been fucking for the past what, year? Remember when she turned all the girls to stone? All that needed to happen was for one to lose balance and they would have been dead!"

Elfman growled, gaining his own aura to match his sisters' and Freed swore he somehow grew taller. He started to write runes quickly behind his back, preparing them so he could spring them up quicker if things started to go bad. Mira stepped between Elfman and their sister, deciding as the eldest sibling she should at least try to diffuse the situation.

"You weren't there, Lisanna. You don't know what happened…"

Lisanna interrupted her, shouting louder now as if she was trying to be heard over the entire guildhall in the middle of a party.

"But I'm not deaf, Mira! The guild fucking talks, you should know that. I know what the Raijinshuu did, but you two seem to have forgotten everyone's sins except Bickslow's."

She pointed at Freed, and in the close quarters her finger nearly brushed his chest.

"Did you forget he nearly killed your own brother?"

"Lisanna!"

Mira slapped Lisanna's hand away from Freed, and Freed slipped between her and Lisanna to try and provide another barrier to them fighting. Sure Lisanna had been attacking him, but he would be hypocritical if he said she didn't have a point.

"You know she technically is correct, Bickslow never…"

Elfman growled and stared Freed down until he stepped to the side.

"You don't get to talk here, Justine."

Freed started to work on his runes faster. He couldn't see any way out of this that didn't involve violence, and when it did he needed to be ready. He was a master of short hand runes, sure, but he needed these ones to be strong enough to survive the wrath of all three Strauss siblings. Mira held onto Freed's arm, weirdly comforting in the middle of the tense atmosphere, and addressed her little sister.

"Putting the history of the Raijinshuu aside, that doesn't change the fact he is going to break your fucking heart. You're naïve if you think he's still going to want you tomorrow. He's going to get bored of you now you've put out. Bickslow just fucks women and leaves, doesn't he Freed?"

Freed swallowed, having to pause his writing to try and decide whether it was worth joining in on this argument.

"Bickslow doesn't tend to…"

"I don't care what he's done before, he doesn't want to fuck me and leave!" Lisanna's face was red with rage, and her hands had started to clench by her sides. "He wouldn't even sleep with me until I had thought it through!"

Mira scoffed, a vexed expression on her face as if she was trying to comprehend exactly why Lisanna would try and bring that up as a reason to they should trust Bickslow.

"For two whole hours… Wow, what a gentleman."

Lisanna grimaced, and Freed felt sorry for her. She was fighting a losing battle, and unfortunately for her she was a Fairy Tail wizard and thus never going to back down.

"He said I was the first girl he had ever taken on a date!"

Now it was Elfman's turn to scoff, and his face was pulled in an exact replica of his older sisters.

"Yeah, because he usually fucks them and leaves them in the bar he met them in."

Lisanna's face fell, and she started to play with the ends of her sleeves. Freed breathed a sigh of relief, if they were lucky this was going to end soon and without any blood being spilled.

"He said… he told me he had a beautiful soul."

Freed froze. Bickslow rarely talked about his soul sight with anyone, it had been years before he had even spoken to Freed about it. If he had spoken about it so openly with Lisanna so early into knowing her, then it must have been serious. He was about to tell Mira just how much something like that meant to Bickslow, but Mira had spotted an opening and went for the kill.

"And how many girls do you think he's said that to? That's the problem with you, Lisanna. You live in this fucking fantasy story and think everything will turn out fine and someone will fall in love with you and you'll get married and stay together forever. I thought you had grown out of that when Natsu moved on. But, guess what Lisanna. The real world isn't like that. I guess dying didn't knock any sense into you, after all."

Lisanna screamed in rage and a wave of magic energy shot out from her, shattering the two remaining vases on the shelves and cracking the windows. She had transformed into her cat soul and slashed at Mira, fist connecting with a wall of runes. Another roar escaped her lips and she tried another slash, but again it was blocked. Elfman was looking at her in a mixture of shock and fear, amazed that Lisanna had actually attacked her older sister, while Mira completed her transformation into her Satan Soul. Lisanna was breathing heavily, and turned to Freed.

"Freed! Get your runes out of here!"

Mira's magic flared up, and Elfman shot forward to wrap his arms around her waist to stop her from running at the barrier. His voice was soft, trying to calm his siblings down.

"Lisanna…"

The girl in question ran, shoving Freed down out of her way and onto the floor as she sprinted up the stairs. Mira was still breathing heavily with rage, chest heaving up and down as Elfman looked between her and the man on the floor. He had calmed down, and tears had started to fall from his eyes as he realised what had just happened.

"Freed… could you…"

The rune mage nodded, stumbling to his feet to follow Lisanna up the stairs as Elfman started to murmur to Mirajane. The fight has ended, and although there weren't any physical injuries he had a feeling the emotional ones cut deep.

* * *

Freed carefully stepped through the shattered remains of Lisanna's bedroom door to find her lying back in her human form, face placed into her pillow and torso shaking from the sobs wracking her body. When she turned her head to see who it was who entered he could see her pillow already stained with tears in the few seconds it took for her to slam her head back down. Her voice came out muffled by the fabric, but when he strained his ears he could just about make it out.

"What the fuck do you want, Freed?"

Freed stood awkwardly by the bed, not sure what to do. Although he was good with words, he had never got the hang of consoling those who were not in the Thunder Legion. That was Mira's job, or Cana's.

"I was worried about…"

"Bullshit."

Freed froze. Lisanna had turned to look at him, her face angry again and he could see Mira in her eyes. He sighed, he shouldn't have bothered trying to lie to her. She could see through his lies just like her sister could.

"Elfman asked me to come check on you."

She adjusted on the bed so she was lying on her side and stared up at him. Tears were still streaming from her eyes but at least she had stopped sobbing now. She shuffled over so she was on one side of the bed, and patted next to her.

"Well, if you're going to come bother me at least sit down. You're looking all awkward and it's weirding me out."

Freed sighed. What harm could it do, and he had been asked by Mira to calm her down. He stepped over, sitting upright on the edge of the bed, wanting to be able to make a quick escape if he needed to. He had been sitting there for only a second before Lisanna pounced on him, pulling him back onto the bed and latching onto him. Her face buried in his chest as she started to sob again, each breath wracking her body. Freed froze for a second before giving in, swinging his legs up on top of the blanket. So much for his exit strategy.

"Why didn't you defend him, Freed? He's your best friend and you didn't even stand up for him."

Freed looked down at the top of her head, patting it gently and hoping that would calm her down slightly. She simply grabbed fistfuls of his shirt and carried on crying.

"Because it wouldn't have done either of you any good if I lied to you."

The crying reduced slightly, and she sniffled into the fabric of his shirt. Her tears were starting to soak through onto his skin, and he was thankful he hadn't managed to get his coat back on earlier.

"I said I would give him my soul, and then he said I was his. When we were…"

Freed coughed, able to guess where she was going with her sentence and really not wanting to hear it. His position was awkward enough as it is.

"Yes, thank you, I can imagine. I will tell you one thing… Bickslow gets very protective about souls. If you gave it to him willingly and he said you were his, he is going to see you as one of his souls and hold onto that."

Lisanna nodded and swallowed a few times as Freed grinned to himself. He was better at this than he thought.

"Then, you think he just sees me as one of his dolls?"

Or maybe not. She hadn't started crying harder, which was a bonus at least. But he really could have worded that better. He was about to open his mouth to reply when she spoke again.

"Do you think he's going to get bored of me and leave?"

Freed closed his eyes and grabbed a pillow to place under his head. He was going to be here a while.

"Lisanna. Do you know why we send Bickslow under cover into dark guilds? It's because not even telepathy mages can work out what he's thinking, and no future seer has been able to see what he will or won't do. Seriously, ask Cana. Bickslow is a complete law unto himself. So, I can't answer that for you."

Her sobbing started up again, but she didn't ask any more questions. Freed started to panic, rubbing over her shoulder blade to try and calm her down before employing a tactic he had used with Bickslow many times before. He started to sing.

"Come, stop your crying,

It will be alright,

Just take my hand,

And hold it tight"

Lisanna tensed for a second, before relaxing into him again sniffling occasionally. Freed started to write runes on top of the bedsheet, sending them downstairs to appear on Mira's arm, knowing it would tingle and let her know he was trying to talk to her.

 _Is everything okay down there?_

It was a second before he received a reply back, Mira's usually perfect handwriting was messy, as if she had scrawled it quickly, and it took him a second to decipher it.

 _I'm sorry. How is Lisanna?_

Freed continued to rub circles on Lisanna's shoulder with one hand and form runes in the air with the other.

 _Crying. Help._

He carried on singing, moving to the next verse as Lisanna just clamped a hold of him tighter.

"I will protect you

From all around you

I will be here

Don't you cry"

His arm tingled, and he shifted his head to read the writing there.

 _Dealing with Elfman._

He grimaced, writing his reply quickly.

 _Mira! I'm serious! Come and help me!_

His voice moved into the next verse, trying desperately not to make Lisanna aware of what he was doing as her sobs quietened and he hoped she was falling asleep.

"For one so small,

You seem so strong

My arms will hold you,

Keep you safe and warm

This bond between us

Can't be broken

I will be here

Don't you cry"

When he didn't feel his arm tingle as he got to the end of his song, he grimaced as he restarted it. He was used to repeating it time after time for Bickslow, and this was no different. His fingers moved across the bed, perfectly used to writing out different words to what he was speaking.

 _Mira I swear to all that is holy if you don't come and help me RIGHT NOW_

He sent off the message, and began to pray that this time she would actually listen.

* * *

 **A/N - You didn't think the Strauss would accept it that easily, did you?**

 **T** **he song sang by Freed is You'll be in my heart by Phil Collins, and a huge thank you to my wonderful beta Gajeelswoman who suggested it for me.**

 **Thanks to everyone for their reviews, each and every one warms my heart.**


	16. Chapter 16

"Elfman!"

Mira was still in her Satan Soul form, and it was taking all of his strength to hold her back. The Rune Barrier still shone around them, but he wasn't sure what was going to going to be allowed through. Freed hadn't bothered making the conditions visible.

"You know we can forbid her from seeing him all we want and she's just going to keep going back to him. She's as headstrong as us two, if not more. Let her see him. Heartbreak is a part of life she's going to come across eventually."

Mira wrestled out of his grasp, starting to hammer on the rune barrier. Elfman stuck his arm out, testing if it could go through the barrier and was met with zero resistance. Mira screamed as her fists slammed into the barrier before Elfman grabbed hold of it and stopped her. She turned to him, face twisted into one of rage.

"Yes, dying is also a part of life, Elfman. But we still try to keep her from that, don't we?"

Elfman visibly deflated, his shoulders drooping as he hung his head low. His voice was quiet, and Mira had to strain to hear it.

"Yes… but I've already failed at that, haven't I?"

Mira looked like she's been slapped in the face, and as her arms fell she transformed back into her human form, the rune barrier falling as her magic faded. Her mouth opened and closed as she had no idea what to say, and she settled for just taking a step closer and wrapping her arms around her brother's shoulders as he continued talking.

"But she's not actually dead. She's back and she's stronger than she's ever been. Mira… all we can do now is be here for her no matter what happens. This is something that she has to learn for herself."

Mira sighed as Elfman melted into her hug, and buried her face in his hair as her own tears started to fall. She felt a tingle on her arm, and scribbled a response to Freed.

"Elfman… I'm… I'm so sor…"

"Sorry, I know."

Her brother stood, using one of his thumbs to wipe the tears from her cheeks. He sniffed through his own tears, before bending down to place his forehead on hers.

"But maybe I'm not the one you need to be apologising to."

Mira sighed. Her arm tingled again and she barely read what Freed said before replying.

"Look at you, Elfman. Holding our family together. I'm meant to be the big sister here, and I'm useless."

Elfman smiled down at her, before gently pushing her towards the stairs. Mira sighed, dreading what she was going to find when she got up there.

* * *

The further she got up the stairs the louder she could hear the soft voice drifting from out of Lisanna's room. It was deep and vibrated down to her very bones, and she wondered why she had never heard it before. It was beautiful and it saddened her Freed had never used it around her. Lisanna's door had been shattered in and she picked her way through it carefully as Freed stopped singing and looked at her gratefully. She sat on the bed, lying down behind her sister and starting to rub her back.

"Fuck off, Mira."

Well, at least it was a good sign that Lisanna wasn't taking any physical action to kick her out. She stayed clinging onto Freed, and the Rune Mage looked pleadingly at Mira to try and pry her off him but the older Takeover sibling knew that would be a bad idea. Elfman ducked through his younger sister's door, grabbing a blanket off her dresser before jumping across the three mages on the bed. Freed made a pained noise, but Lisanna giggled as she felt Elfman's weight on top of her.

"Elfman! You're too heavy to do this anymore!"

Elfman's voice was muffled from where it was buried in the pillow, but everyone could make out what he was saying.

"Don't care."

Lisanna giggled again, but didn't bring her face out from Freed's neck. Mira grinned from behind her, glad that her sister wasn't still mad at her while she started to rub circles on her back, knocking Freed's hand out of the way as she did.

"I guess I still see you as the little girl I lost that day, and that's wrong of me. You've grown into such a strong person now, and can make your own decisions. Just be aware that if he ever makes you cry I'm going to rip his fucking head off."

Lisanna laughed again, but Elfman interrupted her, moving his head so he could look over at the people he was sharing a bed with.

"No, Mira! As the man of the house I'll rip his fucking head off."

Both of the women chuckled, and when it had died down Freed heard Lisanna's voice reverberate through his own chest.

"That's not fair. Surely I get to rip his head off if he breaks my heart?"

They all laughed, and Freed realised in that moment that they probably weren't joking and suddenly felt very afraid for both his friend's and his own life. Mira spoke softly, her voice returned to the sweet cadence he knew so well.

"Well then, we'll help you hide the body, yeah?"

Freed felt Lisanna smile into his chest and relaxed, knowing that there was very little chance for the Strausses to tear the entire house down. All he had to do was to wait for a while for Lisanna to get off him and then he could go. He heard Elfman's voice to his left, rumbling full of sleep.

"Goodnight, guys."

Both sisters mumbled their goodnights, and Freed lifted his head up to look at Elfman. The Takeover mage looked straight back at him before growling, somehow knowing what he was about to say.

"Goodnight, Freed."

Freed slammed his head back down on the pillow, grimacing as Elfman purposely put his hand over Lisanna's to pin Freed to the bed. He lifted the hand that wasn't trapped under Mira, and started to write his teleportation runes in the air. Elfman's voice somehow dropped even lower as he growled across the bed.

"Justine."

Freed sighed, and with a swipe of his hand the runes in front of him disappeared. He wasn't getting out of this easily.

* * *

He didn't know how long he lay there in the dark, waiting for Elfman's snores and Lisanna's breath to slow against his chest. He couldn't even move he was held so tightly by both Lisanna and Elfman, but he managed to turn his head to look at his girlfriend lying on the bed between her two siblings. He couldn't see whether her eyes were open or closed, and spoke as quietly as he could.

"Mira?"

She grunted sleepily but turned her face up to his, big blue eyes opening and staring at him through the darkness and Freed wrote a rune so they could see each other easier without waking anyone else in the bed. They were still rimmed red from where she had been crying, but a smile spread across her face. Freed pointedly looked down at the bundle of Strausses he had found himself in before speaking.

"This is really awkward and I don't like it."

Mira laughed softly, worming one of her hands up to start to play with his hair as she started to whisper back.

"Sorry, Lisanna tends to limpet onto people when she's asleep. She'll be there until morning."

Freed sighed, looking back up to the ceiling and debating what he did in his life to end up like this.

"She fits well with Bickslow then, he always clings onto you while he's asleep but he tends to… crush more."

He heard Mira giggling and sighed. It couldn't be good.

"Do you sleep with Bickslow a lot then?"

Freed wrote a rune he knew would tickle her just enough to annoy her but without making her giggle enough to wake anyone up. It wasn't long until she tugged gently on his hair to get his attention, before speaking up.

"So… panic equals singing then, Freed?"

He pulled a face at her, making her smile with a look of pure innocence she really didn't deserve.

"I had a crying girl in my lap, which was totally my fault, so I did what I do when Bickslow is crying and sang to her. It worked, didn't it?"

Mira nodded, adjusting slightly underneath the weight of her brother so she could look turn and stare into Freed's eyes easier.

"You sing that song to Bickslow, but it said 'one so small' and he's taller than you."

Freed looked back at her, knowing he wasn't going to be able to sleep for a while, if he could sleep at all.

"You want story time, don't you Mira? Bickslow story time?"

She nodded. Mira loved being told stories, and her favourite ones were about Freed's past and other members of the guild. He didn't mind, really. He had always been a storyteller at heart so they fit together quite well in that regard. Adding to that the fact she probably wanted to learn about her sister's new boyfriend, and he knew he would be here for a while.

"You weren't in the guild when I met Bickslow, but he was tiny. He was twelve when I met him and he was smaller than me at ten, and even Jet and Droy at seven. So, I sang that song to him when he was upset or couldn't sleep. Then he hit puberty and started to soar up and bulk out, just like Laxus did. He always told Laxus that he had done it without even having a lacrima implanted inside him and got quite a few shocks for that.

"I can remember sitting and waiting for me to shoot up taller than him, to bulk out as much as he did when I hit puberty but it never came. Believe me, he reminds me almost every single day how tall he is now, either by putting my things on a high shelf so I have to fly to get them or straight up patting me on the head. But, the song never changed."

Mira had moved her hands up to his head, and started to massage his scalp. Her voice made it's way into his ears, and he knew before he understood she wanted more information from him.

"You've known him for a while, right? Do you think he's going to leave her?"

He could have given her the same answer he gave Lisanna earlier, but Mira would see straight through it. Giving Mira false hope wasn't as bad as giving it to her little sister if Bickslow turned around and defied all logic like he usually did.

"You can't take my word as gospel, but no. I don't think he will. He's been infatuated with her for a while, he talks about her in his sleep and…"

"So, you DO sleep with him a lot?"

Freed groaned, sending Mira a glare he hoped was half as effective as the ones she usually levelled at him.

"Mrajane. I will stop story time right now."

Mira pouted up at him, eyes wide and impossible to deny.

"No… I love Freed story time! Continue, for me?"

Freed sighed, unable to resist those eyes with that voice. He stumbled with his words for a second, trying to remember where he was.

"Bickslow falls in love with souls, if he likes someone's soul then he knows that more likely than not he will like them too. Of course, that doesn't stop him from fucking attractive girls in…"

He was interrupted by a growl coming from deep inside Mira's throat and he decided to move his story to somewhere else.

"… But that is neither here nor there. I remember the first time you came to the guild. We were in the corner with Laxus, and Bickslow leant over to me, pointing at Lisanna as he did. He told me he was going to collect her soul, one day. Now to Bickslow at that point that didn't really mean anything more than he would wait for it to become available to him and take it. He'd never acted on it at that point, and I doubt he was strong enough to take someone's soul unwillingly anyway.

"Then, when she disappeared he ran into our house crying. We couldn't get anything out of him except 'The pretty soul has gone! It's just gone!' He was in hysterics, and it wasn't until we made it to the guild that we made sense of what he was saying."

"He was in love with her before she went to Edolas?"

Mira's voice was sleepy, she so often fell asleep to his voice he wasn't surprised. The amount of times he had told the same story over and over because she had fallen asleep halfway through was too high to count. He thought for a while, trying to find the correct words to get her to understand what he was saying.

"I wouldn't say he was in love. He was more… fascinated by her soul. I lost count of how many times we found him staring at her, and he used to get so frustrated that he couldn't explain why. 'It's just her soul, man. It's fucking perfect.' But after she came back from Edolas? That's when I would say he fell in love with her."

Freed closed his eyes, remembering the argument he had had with a drunk Bickslow in their apartment after he had ran from Lisanna's welcome home party.

* * *

 _"I don't know, man. I just look at her and my heart just skips, ya know?"_

 _He was laying on Freed's bed, head on Freed's shoulder as the younger man was playing with his hair. The Sieth mage had his eyes closed, far too drunk for him to suitably control his figure eyes._

 _"You're in love with her, Bickslow."_

 _Freed was bored of this. It had been going on for a few hours now, ever since the younger Strauss girl had walked into the guild. Bickslow had pulled him and Evergreen to the side, and whispered to them in a harsh voice that her soul was even more beautiful than he remembered. The man curled up to him scoffed, reaching up to run his hand through his own hair._

 _"Fuck off, Freed. I don't do falling in love with people you know that. I just wanna connect her soul and keep it forever, that's all."_

 _Freed yawned, contemplating just using a sleeping rune on Bickslow and getting it over with. The only problem was they were barely effective anymore, and it was starting to take more of his own magic energy for them to work._

 _"Just kill her, then."_

 _Bickslow scoffed, reaching a hand up to bat at Freed's face the way he did when he was annoyed and couldn't show it any other way._

 _"No, you twat. I want her soul to be in her body when I collect it. Her soul, and her."_

 _Freed grabbed Bickslow's hand, and put it back down by his side. He closed his own eyes, hoping Bickslow would shut up spontaneously. There was always a first time for everything._

 _"You're in love with her, Bickslow. That's what love is."_

* * *

Freed finished his story, taking a deep breath before looking down at Mira, her eyes still wide and questioning. He sighed, realising he would have to provide a concrete answer to her question for her to be satisfied.

"Since then, he's been moping every so often. 'A soul like hers never falls in love with a soul like mine'. He won't say what it means, just keeps repeating it whenever any of us ask about it. So, maybe he will get bored of her, I don't know. I really can't predict what he's going to do. But I don't think it will be soon, by any means."

He sighed as he finished his answer, turning around to stare at his girlfriend. She had burrowed under the blanket Elfman had thrown over them, and Freed wrote a quick rune to regulate the temperature underneath it. He was already getting warm, and he could see it getting unbearable through the night. Mira continued massaging his scalp, not saying anything further until he heard her breathing deepen and her fingers still. Well, at least one of them would have a good nights sleep.

* * *

 **A/N - This one's pretty short cause I was so busy this week, but hey it's a day early right?**

 **Thanks once again to everyone who leaves me reviews and comments, each one of them really does brighten my day :)**


	17. Chapter 17

Freed was awake even before the rune he had put on Mira's arm the night before woke her up. The Takeover mage opened her eyes and stretched, before looking up at him and smiling.

"Morning handsome. Sleep well?"

Freed just gave her a withering look as she transformed to extract herself from the pile of her siblings they both found themselves in.

"You alright going out to work this early after the late night last night?"

She sighed as she transformed out of her pyjama's into her regular clothes, running her hand through her hair as she did. She made her way over to the side of the bed he was currently lying on and bent down to him.

"That's what coffee is for, eh? I'll see you at the guild later, yeah?"

She placed a kiss on his forehead as she went to head out of the door. His hand shot out to grab her, holding her still next to him.

"Are you not going to help me out from underneath your siblings?"

She grinned, transforming her arm so she could escape, before walking away.

"Nope. See you later, Mr Justine."

Freed called after her as she disappeared through Lisanna's smashed doorway, hoping beyond all hope that she was joking and was going to be making her way back to help him.

"Mira! I hate you so much!"

Her voice drifted up the stairs to him as she walked away, and he sighed as he realised he wasn't coming back.

"No, you don't!"

He groaned as he heard the front door slam shut, covering his eyes with his arm. This was really not where he wanted to be. Just as he was debating his options in his head, he felt someone shift on top of him and before long a voice emerged from his chest.

"Freed?"

He looked down to see blue eyes looking up at him, almost identical to her older sisters. She rubbed them with a balled up fist, before trying to stretch.

"Good morning, Lisanna. I don't mean to be rude, but if you don't mind would you be able to figure out a way to get your brother off us?"

The girl stretched, hitting the man who's left arm and shoulder were currently lying over the two of them. Her voice came through louder than Freed would have thought possible as she smacked the monster of a man on the side.

"Elfman! Move!"

The man in question groaned, rolling to the side so he was off both of them before falling back asleep. Lisanna climbed over Freed, both of them steadfastly avoiding eye contact for the few seconds she was straddling him and stood up to stretch again. Freed joined her in standing up, brushing down his clothes as she started to go through her drawers to find something to wear. Freed looked at her, hoping she would have the decency to leave the room before she started to get dressed.

"Do you not want to go back to sleep? It's still early."

Lisanna shook her head, standing up with the clothes she had chosen for the day. She turned around to look at Freed, leaning back on her dresser as she did.

"I've never really been one to go back to sleep after I've woken up. Did you want breakfast or something?"

Freed shook his head, getting ready to go down the stairs and collect his clothes.

"I need to be getting back home. You can come with me if you want? I can make breakfast, and Bickslow should be up by now."

He didn't know what made him offer that to her, whether it was knowing that he was going to be seeing a lot of her in the future or whether it was an apology for what happened the night before. She appeared to contemplate it for a second, before nodding her head and heading out into the corridor.

"That would be lovely! Give me a second to get changed and I'll join you."

* * *

When Freed had said it was early, she wasn't quite expecting it to still be dark outside. But as they walked along the road towards the apartment he and Bickslow shared she had to transform her eyes into her cat eyes to enable herself to see better. Annoyingly, Freed didn't seem to have any issues. She looked sideways at the green-haired man, still looking immaculate despite being in the clothes he had slept in the night before.

"So… you and Mira, eh? How long has that been going on?"

He sighed but didn't break his stride. Freed had always been a pretty private person, but she wouldn't be able to stand the long walk across Magnolia in silence.

"A couple of months, I think. We never actually started, you know, officially dating."

Lisanna nearly stumbled when she realised just how long the relationship had been hidden from her. She tried to hide the surprise from her voice, but could tell by the look on his face she didn't succeed.

"When were you going to tell us!?"

She heard him sigh, rubbing his temple as he did and felt guilty she was suddenly forcing him into a game of twenty questions.

"I don't know. As you know, the Raijinshuu has committed some atrocities in the past, so the guild may not be too happy that I am defiling their beloved Mirajane. Not to mention you and Elfman."

Lisanna looked down at her feet. She felt so bad about what she had said the night before and opened her mouth to apologise before Freed anticipated it and interrupted her as he let himself into the front door of his apartment building.

"Don't worry about it. We all said things we regret, and it's not something I didn't know already. I'm not gonna hold it against you. Now, breakfast?"

* * *

 **A/N - Sorry this is both so short and a day late, Iron and Paper really took it out of me this week and the next scene is too long for me to get written tonight.**

 **A happy new year to every single one of you reading this, I have a lot more planned in 2017 and hope you enjoy it!**


	18. Chapter 18

Lisanna swallowed her fear as she followed Freed into the apartment. She had realised on the walk over that Bickslow had never actually invited her back to his place. What if he didn't want to see her? What if Mira had been right? Freed stepped to the side, shrugging off his coat as he did and going to hang it up on a coat rack she hadn't even seen the day before. In her defence, she was slightly busy at the time.

Bickslow was upside down on the sofa in his boxers, legs crossed over the back as he lay down and rested his head on the coffee table, babies lay across his stomach as he read from a notebook. His hair wasn't gelled up and was slightly curly where it was longer. He didn't look at the two entering the room, and Freed froze on his way to the kitchen. Lisanna panicked for a second, wondering if he knew what they had done on the counter the day before but instead he just looked at Bickslow and growled.

"Bickslow. Are you reading my fucking notebook again?"

Bickslow nodded, turning the page slowly as he continued to read.

"Well, Freed, I have to find out your dirty secrets somehow."

Freed sighed, deciding it was probably best not to cause an argument with Lisanna there. He didn't want to subject her to a fight between the two men after what she had gone through the night before. He walked into the kitchen, activating a rune to start heating water for his coffee.

"You don't need to read my books, Bickslow. You find out all my secrets one way or another. Usually by forcing me to tell them to you."

Lisanna hovered nervously by the door, watching as Bickslow dropped the book to the floor, all the babies taking to the air as he flexed his abs, pulling himself up to vault over the back of his sofa and stand to his knees.

"And you shouldn't get to be annoyed right now. You don't come back last night and now you walk in with _my girl_?"

Lisanna's heart stopped, and she didn't know if it was from Bickslow calling her his girl, or the angry look on his face that told her he thought she had been sleeping around with Freed. The man in question just sighed, starting to pour his coffee into his mug. She opened her mouth to protest as Bickslow turned his attention to her, towering over her as she tried not to get turned on by _how fucking sexy he looked_. She opened her mouth to tell him what had happened, but he didn't let her.

"And you, Lisanna. It's been what, a day? And you're already running off with my best friend. For shame. For. Shame."

"For shame! For shame!"

The giggle that erupted from the babies spoiled the mood a little and Bickslow gave up pretending, a smile splitting his face as he bent down and wrapped his arms around her waist as he kissed her. She grinned into his mouth, reaching up on her tiptoes before Freed coughed. Lisanna blushed, dropping back down to her feet and breaking her connection with Bickslow. The man groaned at the sudden lack of contact, pulling Lisanna into a hug as he placed his chin on her head and looked at Freed.

"… Please don't tell Mira I'm ploughing her little sister."

Freed laughed, taking a sip out of his coffee as he leant on the counter. Lisanna tried desperately not to remember exactly what counter it was as he spoke.

"Well, Bickslow, I'm afraid Mira already knows."

Lisanna heard a shriek from above her as Bickslow used her as a launch pad to start running backwards. She managed to turn around in time to see him run straight out of the open window, his babies following him while shrieking themselves. Lisanna stood in stunned silence before speaking to Freed over her shoulder.

"Does he often do that?"

Freed smirked at her back, finishing off his coffee before putting his mug in the sink and turning it on.

"If you haven't noticed, Bickslow tries to be entertaining."

Lisanna giggled as she turned back to the window, wondering what the neighbours thought of Bickslow jumping off the ninth story in just his boxers.

"To be fair, that was pretty entertaining."

Bickslow reappeared in the window, hovering on his babies as he held his arms out to the side. He started to float forward towards the window, shouting as he did.

"Thank you!"

He landed gently, his babies all flying off to bump into Freed, occasionally growling and calling him a freak. He batted at them, but they kept going until he gave up. Lisanna turned around to look at them, laughing as they all bumped into him, making it impossible for him to get even a second's peace. She felt Bickslow's arms wrap around her waist, pressing his chest up against her back and she found it almost romantic until she was swept into the air, Bickslow shouting over her head as he did.

"See, Freed! This woman is fucking perfect."

He spun the both of them around as she started to giggle, heading towards his room.

"Perfect fucking, too!"

Lisanna blushed as he pushed the door open with his back, walking them both into the room as he used her legs to close it again. As soon as it was shut he turned his back to the bed and jumped backwards until she landed heavily and awkwardly on top of him.

Lisanna tried to adjust to somewhere more comfortable, but Bickslow simply tightened his left arm around her waist while using his right to pull them up the bed and into a sitting position. She settled between his legs, and he crossed them up and over hers so she was completely encased in him. He moved her hair out of the way and started to kiss the back of her neck. She tried not to moan out loud, knowing Freed was just a thin wall away and tried to engage Bickslow in normal conversation.  
"Bicks, it's like five in the morning. Why did you wake up so early?"  
He moved down her back, moving her shirt as he did. Sitting back he grabbed the bottom of the fabric and pulled it over her head. She jumped slightly but didn't protest as he mumbled against her skin.  
"Technically, I haven't gone to sleep yet. You know what I just noticed? You haven't got any bruises on your back at all. I have to fix that."  
Lisanna let out a shaky breath as his teeth dug into the back of her shoulder, and he wormed his hands up to remove her bra before they travelled around to the front to grab both of her breasts. She blushed heavily, unsure what to do with her hands before she settled for resting them on top of his legs where they lay in her lap.  
"You know, Bickslow, your obsession with marking me got me in pretty big trouble last night."  
The man froze, pulling his mouth away from her back and resting his chin on her shoulder.  
"You want me to stop?"  
His voice was low and gravelly and shot excitement right between Lisanna's legs. She squirmed a little, before shaking her head. His hands left her front, resting on her shoulders as he turned her head to face him and started to kiss her. She melted into him before he pulled his arms down, nails dragging across her skin and making her back arch. Her mouth pulled away, gasping for air as he chuckled and moved his hands back to her front, grabbing hold of her again as his lips pressed in between her shoulder blades before he spoke again.  
"So, what were you doing with Freed? I know for a fact I'm a better fuck than him."  
Lisanna giggled, wriggling back against him and hearing a groan escape from his throat.  
"I was going back home, walked straight into Freed and he screamed 'fuck a duck' at me!"  
Bickslow laughed against her skin, licking up her spine before lowering the both of them down to the bed gently and starting to draw random patterns over her stomach.  
"So... Freed and the big guy, huh. Gotta be honest, I never thought he'd have it in him."  
Lisanna hit his hands, trying to wriggle and turn over but he refused to let her.  
"No, you idiot. He was with Mira!"  
Bickslow grinned as she started to laugh. He'd known, of course, but hearing the girl on top of him laugh was worth it. He started to kiss her neck again, just below her earlobe as she continued to speak.  
"Bickslow, could I ask you something?" He nodded, grunting into her as he did.

"You assumed he was with Elfman... is Freed, you know?"

Bickslow broke contact with her and started to laugh. She turned to look at him, and he pecked her on the nose before giving a serious response.  
"Yes, Freed is bi. He doesn't flaunt it around, but he goes for both genders, yes."  
Lisanna thought for a second as his right arm moved up her body to grab her left breast, pressing both of them together as his left hand continued drawing on her stomach and mouth tried to raise a bruise on her shoulder. There had been talking around the guild, and she wondered...  
"Have you two ever... you know?"  
To Bickslow's credit, he didn't seem surprised at all. His mouth left her skin with a pop and he spoke softly into her ear.  
"No, we haven't. I'm straight as an arrow, and anyway, watch."  
He moved his mouth away from her face and shouted into the next room.  
"HEY, FREED?"  
Lisanna heard a sigh from the next room and instantly transformed into some clothes in case the man decided to come in. Bickslow whined, starting to unbutton the new shirt almost immediately. As soon as Freed replied to Bickslow Lisanna realised he wasn't coming into the room and transformed back, causing Bickslow to grin and grab hold of her again.

"What, Bickslow?"

The man sounded exasperated already, and Lisanna wondered how he managed to live with Bickslow if he was already infuriated with him after a few minutes.

"Would you fuck me?"

His hands had begun to wander all over her front, and she pressed backwards into him. Straining her ears she heard something that sounded like Freed collapsing on the sofa, all five babies continuing to growl in the most adorable voices.

"Bickslow, I've told you a million times before. I only have sex with attractive men."

Lisanna started to giggle as Bickslow snorted. He took her earlobe into his mouth, biting on it and making her squirm before he whispered softly into her ear.

"See, babe. I couldn't fuck anyone as delusional as that. Now… as for you…"

His left hand moved down her stomach, undoing her shorts and worming into her pants. She grabbed a hold of his wrist, stopping his advances and causing him to freeze. He immediately felt guilty about making his advances without asking her first.

"I'm sorry, I should have asked, we don't have to…"

Lisanna turned her head to him and caught him in a kiss. Her tongue found it's way into his mouth and he fought back as her hand wrapped around the back of his head and pulled him into her. He flipped them over so he was on top of her, their mouths breaking their connection as she ended up on her front. He groaned, pushing himself up off the bed to let her turn over onto her back before dropping back down onto her. She grabbed his hair again, pulling him back so she could speak.

"Bickslow. I want to but… Freed is right there…"

Bickslow closed his eyes, placing his forehead on her shoulder as he sighed. Well, at least he knew a way to solve that. Turning his head away from her he shouted out of the room and to the man on the other side of the wall.

"Hey, Freed? What's your favourite hair colour?"

Lisanna looked up at him in confusion, but he just stuck his tongue out to her with a smirk on his face. She moved her hands down to his lower back as she heard Freed shout from the other room.

"I'm not answering that, Bickslow, because I know you have an ulterior motive and I don't trust you."

Lisanna remained looking at Bickslow, wondering where he was going with this. She wrapped her legs up and around his thighs before he shouted out again.

"Because, I always thought you were into blondes. I just wanted to know whether you force Mirajane to transform her…"

Lisanna jumped as runes erupted around the room, glistening purple before disappearing. Bickslow grinned down at her, dropping on top of her and beginning to kiss her neck.

"There we go. Silence runes."

Lisanna squirmed underneath him as his hands started to wander all over her. Every point where their skin touched sent electricity down her spine, but there was still something else that was bugging her. She spoke between pants as Bickslow kissed down her chest, tongue moving over her skin and his fingertips pressed into her flesh.

"But he's still there… I don't know it's just weird."

Bickslow stopped, stretching up to peck her on the nose before jumping up off the bed and moving to the door. Lisanna squeaked as she realised he was just going to open it, obviously not too bothered that she was half naked and his own arousal was painfully obvious through the thin fabric of his boxers. She transformed back into clothes as Bickslow stuck his head out of the runes and spoke. She could hear him clearly, it was obvious that the silence runes were only one way.

"Freed, could you fuck off, please? I'm trying to rail Lisanna and she's being all polite."

She couldn't see Freed due to the angle of the bed, and instead could just hear him sigh and head towards the door.

"Oh, and if you could take the babies with you too, that would be great."

She heard all of the totems squeal in excitement before Freed swore and Bickslow brought his hand to his face to try not to laugh.

"Poppo! What have I told you about attacking Uncle Freed when he's about to babysit you? I know you're excited but he won't want to take you again if you hurt him."

Lisanna giggled as the silence runes fell and the front door opened. She heard Freed say one last thing before the door closed behind him.

"You really owe me one, Bickslow."


	19. Chapter 19

Bickslow slammed his door closed as he turned around to Lisanna, grinning as he did. He jumped on top of her, making her flinch but within seconds he was kissing her, dropping his whole body onto hers and trapping her arms between the two of them. His arms boxed in either side of her head, and he pressed more and more of his weight onto her as they kissed. She tried to wriggle her arms out from in between them, but he wouldn't let her. Her legs wrapped around his hips and she ground up into him, forcing him to moan into her mouth. With him off guard she moved her right leg to plant it onto the bed, and pressed up with her hip and her shoulder to try and flip him onto his back. He squeaked in surprise, and as soon as she got the tiniest bit of space she wriggled her right arm free to push him over all the way as she straddled his hips.

He pulled his mouth away from hers, panting in surprise and exertion as he lay beneath her. His hands were thrown above his head, and the way his biceps flexed made excitement flood Lisanna's body.

"Wow, Kitten. If you wanted to be on top all you had to do was…"

His words were cut off as her mouth met his again, and she wound his fingers into his hair. He shrugged, not too bothered by the new situation as he wormed his arms underneath hers to scratch his nails down her back. She arched into him and he grinned, working his hands down the back of her shorts to try and push them off her hips. She pulled her mouth away to catch her breath, and as she looked down at him he stuck his tongue out at her.

"You're still wearing far too many clothes for my liking. I prefer it far more when you're fully naked."

She dropped her weight back down again, kissing his neck gently as she pulled his hair so his head fell to the side. Her lips were gentle against his skin, and he knew it wouldn't even bruise slightly but it still felt heavenly. He closed his eyes as it got harder and harder to control his magic, and groaned as his fingers ripped at the fabric of her shorts to try and get them off. Her mouth moved down to his chest, lips still ghosting over his skin and leaving butterfly kisses, and he knew he needed to stop it.

"Lissy, as incredible as this is I really need my bracelets right now."

She groaned in frustration, and he felt her pull herself up so she was kneeling over him. He would have given anything to look up at her, body towering over him half naked, chest heaving from her exertion and sweat starting to form on her skin but he just couldn't risk it. His hands moved up her torso, feeling their way up to her breasts before she spoke.

"Where are they? I can go and get them for you."

He swallowed, pointing in the vague direction of his bedside cupboard, nailed up to the wall as his bed hit both sides of his room.

"Top drawer of that cupboard."

He felt her weight leave him as he kept his eyes screwed tightly shut, still not trusting himself to keep his magic under control. He felt her move around the bed to his cupboard, and heard as the old wood creaked and she rummaged around inside. He heard a chain jangle as she pulled something out of the drawer, and remembered too late what else was in there.

"Erm, Bickslow, what are these?"

He inched his eyes open slightly, fixing all of his concentration on keeping his figure eyes under control as he looked up at her. She wore a smirk on her face as she hung a pair of handcuffs on one finger. Her shorts had dropped low on her hips, and he swallowed down his lust before he answered her, starting to sit up as he did.

"There should be some others…"

She was on top of him in seconds, straddling his torso and pinning his arms back down. He panicked, wriggling underneath her as she grabbed one of his arms, closing the cuff around his wrist as he felt his magic stop. He was thankful, really, it meant he couldn't hurt her while he was trying to get her to understand what was happening.

"Lissy, you're great and all, but usually I'm not the one in the cuffs."

Lisanna looked down at Bickslow, looking flustered at the situation he found himself in. She sat down on his stomach, letting go of the handcuffs and letting them fall to the bed.

"Ok, do you want me to go and get the ones from yesterday?"

He looked up at her, obviously thinking something through before he lolled his tongue out of his mouth and grinned. The simple act alone made her squirm on top of him, and he reached his arms up over his head and wrapped his hands around the headboard.

"You know what? Let's give it a try. It might be fun, right?"

She smiled down at him, kissing him on the forehead right in the middle of his tattoo, before winding the chain of the cuffs around the bedposts to attach to his other arm. As soon as the second cuff was secured he shot his head upwards and bit into the side of her breast, making her shriek in surprise and scowl down at him. Moving down his body, she dragged her hands down his arms and to his chest, letting out a breath as she made sure to commit every inch of his body to memory. As soon as her fingers hit the long scar that ran from his right shoulder to his lowest left rib she traced down it, placing a kiss just above it as she did. After that was finished she licked down the centre of his abs, before pausing to bite her lip. She paused for a second, letting out another shaky breath as she ground her hips down to try and get some friction to give her at least some release.

"You alright there, babe?"

He smirked up at her, the way she was looking at him fuelling his ego before she blushed and smacked at his torso. She buried her head in his chest, before tilting her head up and placing a kiss on his chest, moving her hands down to trace his abs and play with the waistband of his boxers. She could pull them down, but she decided to tease him the way he had teased her.

She let her tongue poke out from her mouth and dragged it up his chest until it got to his chin. Once there she crawled up his body until she could kiss his mouth again, catching his bottom lip in her teeth and pulling at it until he groaned into her mouth. Pulling away again, swallowing heavily at the sight of his biceps flexing under his skin, she moved up to lay a sloppy kiss in between his eyes before starting to trace his tattoo with her tongue. His breath was hot on her skin as he exhaled sharply and made her tense up. His voice came from under her chin, but was still as clear as if it was in her ear.

"Fucking hell, Lissy. You're not like any of the other girls I've been with, normally they hate my tattoo."

She stopped, sitting back on his stomach as she looked down on him. His eyes were closed and she wondered whether it was a habit from living with his figure eyes for so long. They opened slowly and looked into hers, the dark red orbs surrounded by the most amazing lashes she had ever seen and it made her almost reconsider her hesitation.

"Bickslow…"

He tilted his head at her voice, asking without opening his mouth as to what she was thinking. She shook her head, moving back down to kiss his neck.

"Lissy? What's wrong?"

His voice was filled with concern, but she ignored it and bit gently into his neck, testing how rough she could be without hurting him too badly, but he didn't react.

"Lisanna. Stop that and talk to me."

He had stopped moving underneath her, and she moaned in frustration, moving her hands up and down his torso. When he refused to move or react at all, she sat up to look into his eyes. They were narrowed at her, and she bit her tongue in worry.

"Nothing's wrong, I'm just being stupid that's all."

He scoffed, eyes rolling in his head as he looked up at her. He placed his feet on the bed, giving her something to lean back against if she wanted to. He looked up at her, daring her to look away with his eyes alone.

"Do you think I'm fucking stupid? There's something wrong and this isn't going any further until you tell me what it is."

She started to draw patterns on his chest, complete nonsense as he kept his gaze level into hers. She couldn't look away, completely transfixed by his eyes and what lay beyond them.

"It's just… something that Mira said… but it's fine, don't worry about it."

She moved her body down so she was straddling his legs, kissing down his abs as she did until she reached the waistband of his boxers and began to tug at it with her hands. She heard him struggle with the chains, before he shouted at her, more anger in his voice than she had ever heard before.

"Fucking dammit, Lisanna! Take me out of these fucking chains so we can talk about it like adults, now!"

She had jumped away in fear when he first spoke, but ended up looking up at him sheepishly. She climbed off his body and scrambled up the bed to undo the chains. As soon as the first one was off he pulled his arms down, grabbing onto her and wrapping her into a hug. She adjusted until she was laying down, and he moved with her seamlessly and kissed the top of her head.

"This isn't going to work if we don't talk to each other, Lissy. Do you not trust me enough to tell me what's wrong?"

Her voice was muffled by his chest, but he started to rub her back almost automatically. He didn't know why, but something told him it would comfort her.

"I do, Bickslow…"

Another kiss to the top of her head, before he pushed her away from his chest and looked her in the eyes, glad that the magic blocking cuff was still clamped around his wrist.

"Then tell me what's wrong, Lissy."

She closed her eyes, and his heart dropped at the thought she was scared he was going to take her over. He watched her deliberate, before she spoke almost too quietly for him to hear.

"All these other girls… I just. I just want to know what this thing between us is. Because if it's just fucking then that's fine, because fucking you is really fun, but I need to know that's all it is."

Bickslow pushed her over onto her back, clambering on top of her as she wrapped her legs around his hips again.

"Lisanna Strauss. I meant what I said. You're not like those other girls. So yes, I want to fuck you as many times as I physically can, but I'm not going to leave you. Everyone else, they're not… they're not you. Wow. That sounds cheesy, but it's true, you know?"

Lisanna giggled, and went to kiss him but he avoided it. He grabbed her hands, holding them above her head as he continued speaking.

"I can't explain it, no matter how hard I try. Not with words, anyway. But if it's really worrying you, I can show you if you want?"

She looked up at him with questioning eyes, and he dropped his forehead onto hers to close the gap between them.

"I can do this… thing. Where I can kind of smoosh our souls…"

"Smoosh?"

She started to giggle, but he dropped his mouth down to stop her, shoving his tongue into her mouth to force her to moan. As soon as she did he pulled away, staying clasped onto her wrists.

"Hush, you. If you wanted eloquent conversation you should have fucked Freed. I can do this thing where I smoosh our souls together, and you can see how I see. It's not as clear as if a telepath does it, because it uses souls not minds, but it might help."

She squirmed underneath him, and he could tell she was thinking it through. After what felt like hours, he realised he had overstepped a line and tried to backtrack.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…"

"Will I remember it?"

He was shocked into silence for a second, before he started to play with her hair where it splayed across the pillow as he explained.

"Yes. When I accidentally take someone over they lose all memories of it, but if I intend to use my figure eyes I can allow them to remember."

She nodded slightly, worrying her bottom lip as she did. Bickslow looked down at her, and wished that it was his teeth tugging at her lip like that. He shook his head, he didn't need to be thinking of that right now.

"Does it hurt?"

He grimaced. Anyone else he would be so glad he caused them so much fear, but not her. He regretted all of the times he had played up how creepy his magic was, now she thought that he would hurt her just to make his job easier.

"No, I… I wouldn't suggest it if it could hurt you."

She shook her head, sighing as she did.

"I wasn't asking if it would hurt me. Would using your magic like that hurt you?"

He couldn't help but laugh. All of the worry he had felt and she was panicking about him hurting himself.

"No, no it won't hurt me. It's just a bit weird, that's all."

She wriggled one of her hands free of his grip, grabbing onto the side of his face and pulling it down so she could place a kiss onto his nose.

"Then by all means, go ahead and smoosh our souls. And then maybe after that we can smoosh something else?"

Bickslow chuckled nervously, pulling himself up to his knees and forcing her legs to slip down to his calves. He removed the last cuff from his wrist and closed his eyes as he felt a rush of magic return to him. The first few seconds of getting his magic back was always completely uncontrollable. He left it a little longer than he normally did, before dropping the cuffs to the bed and lying back over her. He smoothed her hair back from her face, lowering his voice down to a whisper before he went any further.

"Tell me you trust me, Lisanna. Tell me you're happy for me to do this."

She swallowed the last of her anticipation, before nodding her head. Bickslow steeled his jaw, closing his eyes tightly as he did as if he didn't even trust himself.

"No. Tell me. Open your mouth and speak to me."

Lisanna squirmed underneath him, surprised by the harshness of his tone as she dropped her hand back down to the other above her head. She wasn't sure why she whispered back, it just seemed fitting.

"I trust you, Bickslow. My soul belongs to you anyway, remember?"

Bickslow chuckled again, opening up his eyes, but Lisanna could see they were still a deep red.

"You need to relax. It's easier if you're relaxed."

Lisanna made sure to breathe deeply, relaxing each of her muscles in turn. It was surprisingly easy, even with the knowledge that her soul was about to leave her almost completely. She nodded her head in agreement, and watched as Bickslow's eyes started to glow. She didn't think anything was happening at first, but then it hit her.

* * *

She felt simultaneously light and heavy at the same time, and it gave her the feeling of being torn in two. She panicked for a second, and felt it stop until she calmed again. Her eyes felt heavy, and she went to blink before her entire perception changed.

She was suddenly warmer, and was looking down at herself on the bed. Her stare was completely blank, and it was a few seconds before she realised she was seeing everything from Bickslow's eyes.

 _You ready?_

His voice was everywhere around her, and inside her as well. She was still stunned into silence, and watched as what she could only describe as an aura started to push out from her skin. It was a pure white, with two bright blue and green lines swirling around it like ribbons. It was merging into another soul, black with streaks of dark red and green, but with a bright blue ribbon like hers cutting starkly across it, plaiting perfectly with the red and the green.

 _I told you… your soul is beautiful_

Lisanna couldn't take her eyes off the sight in front of her, especially the two souls merging further together as time went on, and she wondered just when Bickslow first noticed her soul.

* * *

Without warning she was sitting in the guildhall, the hard wood of one of the guild's benches underneath her. She realised she wasn't in her body when she saw hands that weren't her own in front of her, fiddling with small wooden cylinders that she assumed were the totems. They were much cruder than the ones she was used to, with no faces or wings, but they each glowed with a different colour. Pink, green, light blue, purple and orange. They were stacking and restacking each other, when Lisanna heard the front door to the guild open and the eyes she was seeing through turned to look.

She recognised Mirajane, Elfman and herself, all those years ago when they joined the guild. The eyes she was using readjusted, and suddenly their bodies were replaced by what she now knew were souls. Mirajane's was a dark purple, ribbons of the same bright blue she saw in hers swirling around it. Elfman's was mostly white, but forest green ribbons accompanied his blue ones. And hers was almost the same as the one she had seen before, but it was missing the bright green ribbons that now twisted around her blue ribbons. She felt her vessel's hand raise up to the side, grabbing a hold of someone's arm through thick, heavy fabric. She tried to turn her head to see who it was, but she couldn't. Evidentially Bickslow hadn't done that in the past.

"What, Bickslow?"

The voice was higher, but still unmistakably Freed. Her body leant forward, and she saw a black painted fingernail point towards a younger her.

"Look at that girl over there. That little one. Holy fuck, her soul is incredible."

Bickslow's voice was higher too, and she felt it vibrate in her chest as she spoke. The body leaned back, but his eyes were still trained on her.

"I'm gonna collect that soul. She's gonna become one of my totems.

Before she could see anything else, the scene switched and she was stood on a very familiar mountainside. The babies were different now, wings had been added and their faces had appeared, albeit cruder than she was used to. But their souls remained the same, shining through their bodies almost completely as they floated around Bickslow's head.

Why was he here? Why had he come to where she had died?

"This is it, babies! This is what I saw in Mira's memories! Right, now you need to help me search. It must have attached itself to something around here! Babies, find the pretty soul!"

All of the babies' souls flashed as they spoke, before they flew off in all different directions.

"Pretty soul! Pretty soul!"

The body she was in started looking around, watching the babies fly to and from the trees and the rocks. The babies souls were brighter, as if Bickslow was pouring more energy into his soul sight. He kept chatting to them as he searched, voice filled with excitement.

"You're gonna have a new sister soon! Now, you need to be nice to her when we find her. She's probably gonna be scared, but you can teach her, right?"

The babies all squealed again, spinning around faster as they searched.

"Little sis! Little sis!"

Her perception flashed again, and suddenly she was knelt on the cold rock ground. All of her muscles ached, as if she had been running for days without any sleep. Her eyes were sore, and she wanted to itch them, or close them, or something but her arms wouldn't let her. Her chest burned, and she felt an overwhelming sadness consume the body she was occupying. It was night now, and it was only the brightness of the totem's souls that allowed her to see what was happening. They were just hanging in the air now, and she could feel waves of tiredness coming off them too.

"No pretty soul, Papa."

Two hands were brought up to her face, and she felt her whole body descend into sobs.

"How could I have failed? How did I lose her?"

Suddenly she was in the guildhall, in the furthest corner from the door, watching a swarm of people enter through the main entrance. There were a myriad of different colours as they all walked in, but one colour shined brighter than all the others. The people split, and Lisanna saw herself walk forward, her soul almost lighting up the room. She felt Bickslow hold his breath, and his heart started to speed up. People around the guild started to celebrate at Lisanna's – her, return. Bickslow stood, turning to the back door of the guild and sprinting out and along the road. His babies all screamed in excitement, following after him as he stumbled and almost lost his balance.

Everything changed again, a quick change that made her head spin. Going from full sprint to lying down wasn't easy at all. The babies were suspiciously absent, but the bright light that came from his stomach told her why. They were back on the roof of the cathedral, Lisanna's body lying on Bickslow's chest and soul shining through his cape. His clothes almost completely blocked his own soul, and she was just able to see the ribbon of green and blue plaited around the black and red clinging to the bare skin of his hand. In contrast, her own soul shone brightly through the night.

The green ribbon was back, but it was just lying up against the blue, not intertwined as it had been when she had seen it in his bed. Bickslow was warm, and… there was something else. A feeling that had been noticeably missing in all the other scenes she had experienced.

"Trust me, Bickslow, I wouldn't give my soul to you if I thought you were like him."

She felt Bickslow's eyes widen, as he watched the two ribbons around her soul slowly entwine until it looked like there was no chance they could ever untangle. A burst of happiness shot through Bickslow's body, and she felt his mouth twist into a smile she hadn't seen when she was in her own body. Almost immediately after the happiness she felt a wave of fear and anticipation, and Bickslow swallowed heavily. He had thought she made a mistake.

"You shouldn't say that to a Sieth mage, you know."

* * *

Without warning she was back in Bickslow's bed, in her own body. He looked at her in utter panic, before he buried his face into her shoulder. He was breathing heavily, both from the fear that she had seen what he didn't want her to see and from the amount of magic power it had taken for him to stop it.

"How… how did you do that?"

His voice was muffled, and she slowly raised her hands to wrap in his hair. She didn't know how to answer, and she just drew him in closer to her. She was still stunned by what she had seen, not sure what had happened or how she had managed to do it.

"You… Those were my memories. I didn't mean for you to see them."

She nodded, still completely unable to speak. He sighed into her skin, before wrapping her arms under her waist and flipping them both over so she was on top. She squealed slightly, shook out of her shock by his movements, before giggling and readjusting to a more comfortable position. He grinned up at her, grabbing the handcuffs and passing them up to her before wrapping his hands back around the pole of the headboard.

"Now the smooshing of the souls is done, you mentioned something about smooshing something else?"

* * *

 **A/N - As always, all of the thanks goes to Gajeelswoman for betaing this for me. This chapter was supposed to be nothing but shameless smut, but something my wonderful friend Kmmcm suggested sparked off this whole thing so you can blame her for the lack of smut.  
** **Thanks to everyone for their wonderful reviews and comments, they make my day whenever I read them!**


	20. Chapter 20

**This is pure, unadulterated smut. I'm not apologising.  
** **I also realise that I've been pretty lax with warning about smutty chapters. It's best to assume that there is going to be at least some smut in this fic.**

* * *

He grinned as she leant forward again, and enjoyed the last few moments of her soul shining out of her skin before the cuff clasped around his wrist and his soul sight was taken from him. He held his hands still as she wound the chain around the pole in the headboard and attached the other bracelet. He tugged on the chain experimentally, but knew he couldn't break it. He had figured if Lisanna had been dealing with new experiences for the last couple of days, he should at least experience one. Plus, the way she looked towering over him was fucking hot. Her chest was raising up and down with her breathing, and the way her breasts bounced along with each inhale and exhale was almost mesmerising. If only she could lose those damn shorts. He watched as her eyes roamed down his body, and noticed her throat move as she swallowed. She looked so hungry, and it did wonders for his ego that he was the one that put that lust in her eyes.

"Eyes are up here, Lissy."

Her eyes snapped from his waist back up to his eyes and a blush dusted over her cheeks. She dragged her hands over his arms and down his chest, before she bent down and began to kiss at his neck. A groan erupted from his throat involuntarily, and he felt her squirm in response. He closed his eyes so he could immerse himself in the feeling of her mouth and tongue on his skin. It was still so gentle, so cautious as her hands rested gently on his sides.

"You can be rougher, you know."

Lisanna paused at the sound of his voice, dropped down to a whisper, and pulled away slightly as she felt a blush raise over her skin. She looked up at his face, seeing him crack open his eyes to look down at her. He squirmed underneath her before he spoke again.

"I mean… only if you…"

"You'll tell me if I'm too rough?"

He nodded and she dropped her head back down until her mouth clamped down on his chest. She started to suck at his skin, pulling it into her mouth before sinking her teeth in. She froze when he heard him take a sharp intake of breath, but as soon as she heard him moan in pleasure she smiled and continued. His knees came up and hit her arse, making her tumble and grab hold of him for support. Even though he was tied up he could still manipulate her easily. She kept biting at his skin, hearing his breath hitch occasionally underneath her. She finally pulled away, noticing the mark start to appear on his skin and suddenly realised why he liked leaving marks all over her as a strange mix of pride and lust shot through her.

Bickslow watched her eyes glint as she sat back up, and grinned as her hips squirmed and she unintentionally ground herself over his cock. He moaned as she leant back down again, finding a spot just below where his skin had already started bruising and started to bite. He alternated between screwing his eyes closed in pleasure and peering through them to see her make her way slowly down his torso. He had managed to be patient until she got to the bottom of his abs and refused to drop any lower.

"Fucking hell, Lissy. You're fucking killing me."

She was straddling his knees now, having forced him to straighten out his legs. She looked at him with a glint in her eye, and an evil smirk as she grabbed the waistband of his boxers and started to pull them down. They had barely moved an inch when she moved her head back to his skin and started to draw out a bruise on his hip. He growled in a mixture of frustration and lust, involuntarily raising his hips as she pulled the fabric off him the rest of the way, but refused to move her mouth an inch. He felt her teeth scrape repeatedly against his skin, and began to squirm. He really wasn't used to being teased like this but, fuck, did he enjoy it. Her mouth left his skin with a pop, and he gritted his teeth to try and control himself.

"Bickslow?"

He opened his eyes, glancing down the line of bruises to where she was smiling at him, inches away from his cock. He swallowed heavily before responding.

"Me?"

She giggled, and fuck if he wasn't tied up he would have taken her there and then. She licked her lips, and if she would just move three inches to the left…

"You showed me your magic, what about I show you mine?"

He cocked an eyebrow down at her, wondering what she was getting at. She arched her back so he could see her shorts behind her head and he growled at the fabric for obstructing his view.

"You know, I've been told by a lot of people that a certain soul of mine is particularly sexy."

Bickslow was about to open his mouth, before her magic overtook her and suddenly she was in her cat takeover form, but this time completely naked. Her tail curled around and her ears switched, and Bickslow had to suppress a growl as a new round of lust shot down to his cock. He had never really understood the whole cat thing, but _fuck_. This was her.

Her tongue lolled out of her mouth as she mirrored one of his grins, and he almost copied her before it licked up his entire length and he groaned in pleasure, his fists clenching as he tugged at his restraints. She had been teasing him for so long, and he just wanted to clasp his hands in her hair and fuck her mouth until he came. But she continued to just lick up his length, before taking him into her mouth. Her claws dug into his side, leaving scratches down his sides to his hips. He closed his eyes as he clenched his teeth, a growl erupting from his throat as his body was filled with pleasure. It wasn't the most proficient blowjob he'd ever received but the fact it was Lisanna made it hands down the best. He felt his orgasm building up inside him, and grunted as he warned her.

"Kitten, I'm gonna…"

His cock left her mouth and he groaned in frustration, opening his eyes and looking down at her as she crawled her way up his body, her tail waving lazily in the air. He bucked his hips up to her, but she pulled herself out of the way before attacking his mouth with hers. Her tongue was in his mouth in seconds, and he kissed her just as hard. He bit into her lip, making her squeal in surprise before pulling away.

"Bickslow!"

She furrowed her brows, dragging her sharpened nails down his chest and leaving eight raised scratches as they went. She positioned herself over the top of him before lowering herself down, her face in an expression of pure pleasure as she did. She let out a shaky breath as soon as he was buried deep in her, before she started moving. He filled her completely, this angle completely new to her as she tried to find the best rhythm. The way her senses were heightened in this takeover almost short circuited her brain with everything she was feeling once, the taste of him still in her mouth, the sound of the moans from deep in his chest, the sight of his face screwed up in pleasure between his arms, and the feeling of him filling him up completely. Her eyes fell closed as she rested her hands on his abs for support and she sped up as her orgasm got closer and closer. She had started wanting to give Bickslow as much pleasure as she could, but now she was feeling entirely selfish. She felt her own rhythm fail as her pleasure overtook her entirely, and she screamed Bickslow's name. Her body tensed as all of her muscles locked at once and her vision was filled with nothing but white. She ground down into him, hanging her head as she tried to catch her breath.

She squeaked in shock as she felt hands grab her hips, and opening her eyes she saw that Bickslow had somehow managed to get his arms free of the headboard, although both of the cuffs remained on his wrists. He bucked his hips up into her, causing her to moan as he grunted in pleasure.

"Didn't think you'd be that selfish, Kitten."

She whimpered, completely unable to form words as he drove up into her. He used his hands on her hips as leverage as she put more of her weight onto his abs. Another orgasm was building up inside of her and she screamed his name again as he shouted hers. His rhythm slowed, and she struggled to catch her breath again. She opened her eyes slowly, and took in the sight of him lying under her, just as out as breath as she was as his face was almost completely calm. Sweat was covering his chest, creating a sheen over the bruises she had left on him. He moved his hands up to her shoulders and pulled, allowing her to collapse on top of him as her magic dissipated and she was human once again.

They stayed quiet for a while, both catching their breath as Bickslow grinned, rubbing his hands up and down her back. She buried her face into his neck, giving it a chaste kiss before smiling against his skin. His chest was heaving below her, and she started to roll off him to give him more air before he moaned in annoyance and tightened his arms to hold her in place. She could feel his voice vibrating through his chest as he spoke.

"Hi."

She giggled, pulling her head up so she could look into his eyes. He was still grinning up at her, and she placed a kiss on the head of his tattoo before she spoke.

"Really, Bickslow? That's all you have to say? You took my soul. I accidentally stole your memories. We had absolutely mind blowing sex. And all you have to say is 'hi'?"

A blush covered his cheeks, and he pulled both of them over until she was on her back and he hid his face in her breasts. She giggled as his breath tickled her overly sensitive skin, before he murmured into her.

"… yes."

She laughed again, twisting his hair in her hands before running her palms across the strips where his hair was shaved and enjoying the way the short hairs prickled against her skin.

"Fine, Bickslow. I get it. You don't do pillow talk. But can you at least tell me how you got out of the cuffs?"

She felt him grin against her skin, and he adjusted so he was straddling her thighs as his face buried further into her cleavage. He grabbed a hold of her shoulders, pressing his fingertips into her skin on the way down to her breasts.

"They're my cuffs. I know how to undo the chains. I wanted to see what you would do, but when you weren't gonna keep riding me I had to step in…"

She blushed, tugging on his hair to try and get him to look up at her. His head adjusted so he could look up at her, his eyes full of mirth as he kept his mouth on her skin.

"You're evil."

He smirked, opening his mouth to bite down on her. She gasped, still sensitive from what they had been doing only minutes before.

"I may be evil, but you're sexy. Your face. Your body. Your voice. Every. Single. Fucking. Noise you make. Fuck, Lisanna, you turn me on so much."

She could feel the blush heat her skin, and she writhed underneath him. He pressed his weight down onto her, trying to hold her still but only succeeding on making her moan louder. He knew she was still sensitive and he would have to take it slow, but he could still make her feel good while doing that. Her fingers traced down his forehead and around his tattoo.

"Really? Again? Already?"

He grinned up at her, pushing himself up so he was lined up with her face. An evil grin split across his mouth, and he moved so he was knelt to the side of her, dragging his palm down her flesh and grabbing hold of her hip.

"What have I told you, Lisanna? My body is always willing and ready, when it comes to you anyway. And there was something else I said…"

In one smooth movement he flipped her over onto her front, forcing a squeak of shock out of her as he did. He straddled her thighs again, placing a kiss in between her shoulder blades before speaking.

"I need to leave more bruises on your back, don't I?"

She sighed contentedly as his teeth scraped against her, his hands roaming all over her back as he did. She could feel bruises coming up on her skin, and winced when she realised how angry Mira would be if she saw. Bickslow froze when she did, and it was only when she wriggled again, pressing her back up into him that he realised he could continue. He looked down at her, her arms folded underneath her head and grinned as he came up with an idea. She'd enjoyed doing it to him, after all. Maybe she'd like to be on the receiving end as well.

He stood up, rifling through his bedside draw for another set of cuffs and grinning wider as he realised they were the ones that couldn't be unclipped. Grabbing her arms he clasped one cuff over her wrist, pulling them up so he could attach them to the headboard. She looked up at him as he did, but didn't protest at all.

"You let me know if you want out, yeah? They'll block your magic so you can't transform out."

She nodded almost imperceivably, and he dropped down to carry on leaving marks on her back. He didn't have much skin left, but he was determined to cover it. He needed to let the both of them get less sensitive before he did anything else.

He started at the back of her neck, nudging her hair out of the way with his nose as he immediately bit down on the skin underneath. She whimpered in pleasure, writhing underneath him again and as she ground against his cock he grunted into her skin. The things she did to him without even knowing…

Lisanna buried her face into Bickslow's thin pillow, arching her back as his mouth moved down her spine, leaving random bruises all over her back. His hands moved their way around to her front and started to play with her nipples. She groaned louder, trying to stifle it in the fabric but realising she failed as he twisted them in between his fingers harder, pinching and pulling them as he did. Her back arched, and she felt her hips bounce against his crotch before he grunted, pulling away from her. She hissed at the sudden lack of contact, even his hands leaving her skin, and she wondered if she had done something wrong.

"Bicks…"

Her words were cut off by a squeak as his hands grabbed her hips roughly, pulling them up into the air before he slammed into her. Her entire body shook as their skin met with an audible slap, and the chains holding her hands in place rattled. The new position hit a new angle inside of her, and pleasure started to build in the bottom of her stomach almost immediately. Bickslow was moving at a smooth rhythm, both hands rested on her lower back as she panted and tried to wriggle free of the chains so she could change that. The movements made her grind back onto him and he grunted, annoyed that she'd managed to get some control back. His left hand snaked around underneath her, finding it's way to her clitoris and his fingers started to rub it harshly. She screamed at the pleasure, his hips continuing to snap forward as they moved in perfect sync with his fingers. She felt an orgasm building up inside her, and she tried to moan his name but was stopped as it hit her full force, tensing all of her muscles as a scream escaped her lips. Bickslow's fingers slowed, rocking her through it gently as he continued to move inside of her.

Her arms collapsed from her weight, her chest hitting the bed underneath her heavily as Bickslow readjusted himself to the new angle. He leaned forward, using their height difference to card his hands through his hair as his left hand grabbed a hold of her arse roughly. She moaned his name, completely incapable of coherent thought as her body was torn between trying to recover from her previous orgasm and building up for another one. She didn't think she would ever be able to cum again, and she swallowed as she tried to tell Bickslow. He groaned in disappointment, moving both of his hands to her hips and speeding up in his movements, using her hips to pull her back further onto him.

"Come on, kitten. Just one more. For me?"

The harsher movements added to the way he'd buried deeper inside of her, allowing another orgasm to build. Her hands clenched onto the head board, knuckles going white as her nails dug into her own palms around the wooden poles. He was grunting louder now, occasionally interspersed with curses and what she could just make out as her name. Her orgasm came out of nowhere, and she screamed out as her ears were filled by his own shouts. His hips slowed before he pulled out of her and threw himself down heavily onto the bed beside her. She looked over at him, lying on his back as they both tried to catch their breath. He grinned back at her, leaning over and fiddling with the cuffs for less than a second before she was free and he pulled her up into his arms. She smiled, burying her face into his chest despite the sweat that was covering his skin.

"You're… really loud, Bickslow."

She heard him laugh from above her, his lips pressing into her hair and kissing her. His hand moved up to her chin, pulling her up to face him before he reached down and started to remove the one bracelet left on his wrist. Before the connection was full broken he closed his eyes, and Lisanna watched as his magic power shone through his eyelids for a second before his magic calmed down and he opened them.

"Hey, I wanna show you something? Can I?"

Lisanna nodded as she stared into his eyes, and felt the now familiar feeling of him melding both of their souls together. It was easier than it was before, and she barely saw herself for a second before Bickslow led her to the memory that he wanted to show her.

She was sat on top of him, riding him as pleasure shot all the way through his body. Her eyes were closed as she screamed his name, the noise echoing around the room. She felt Bickslow bite his lower lip as he watched her breasts bounce up and down on her chest before she found herself back in her own body, wrapped up in Bickslow's arms.

"See? You're pretty loud too!"

She shook her head to get rid of her shock, before hitting Bickslow's chest as he tilted his head back and laughed loudly into the air.

"Bickslow! I can't believe you…"

She couldn't finish her sentence as she giggled at him. It had been pretty funny, even if it was weird to watch herself have sex from a completely different angle. She wondered whether she could commandeer his soul again and make him watch himself next time. The thought brought back more memories, and she raised her hand to run it through his hair before she spoke.

"Bickslow? You know at some point we're going to have to discuss the whole thing where you wanted me to turn into one of your totems, right?"

He grinned down at her, flexing his arms so she was pulled closer to him and letting out a sigh as her breasts rubbed against his chest.

"I'll tell you if you explain how you took over my soul. That's kinda my thing, babe."

Lisanna was left speechless, opening and closing her mouth as she looked up at him.

"I… I don't…"

He bent his head down, capturing her mouth in his. His kiss was gentle this time, focused on making her smile more than teasing her. Despite how slow it was, it still left her breathless as he pulled away.

"Don't worry about it. I'll research it, see if I can find it out. You want to talk about the totem thing now?"

She looked up into his eyes, a deep red filled with… was that worry? He was worried about discussing it with her, she knew, and she supposed she had forced him into telling her about it the first time. She moved her head back down to his chest, shaking it before she spoke.

"No. Not right now. I just want to enjoy this right now."

She felt his lips press against her scalp again, and his hands started to move up and down her back, pads of his fingers pressing into her skin occasionally before they grabbed hold of her waist.

"Well, tell me when you want to talk about it and we'll talk. That goes for anything, Lissy. You say the words and we'll sit down and talk like adults."

She smiled into his chest, both from happiness from just how much he trusted her and from what he had told her repeatedly.

"And you say you're no good with words. Is this that silver tongue everyone has been warning about?"

She rolled onto her back as he pushed at her waist, and stuck his tongue out as far as he could. She blushed, remembering all the things he had done with that tongue, and all of the noises the muscle had drawn out of her.

"Nope. My tongue is golden. Platinum, even. And I'm going to spend all day proving it to you."

Lisanna swallowed as his tongue licked across her chest before his mouth encompassed her nipple. He nibbled on it gently, forcing her to arch her back up to him and moan again. If she didn't know any better, she would have said he was trying to kill her.

"Bickslow! I need to go to work at ten."

He groaned in disappointment, the vibration sending pleasure through her chest and making her rub her thighs together to try and get some friction. He pushed himself up off the bed, grabbing a cuff to clasp over his wrist before holding out a hand to help her up.

"In that case, I have a new challenge. How many places in this apartment can we fuck before you have to go to work? Come on! There's no time to lose!"

* * *

 **Once again a huge thank you to gajeelswoman for betaing this for me, and not batting an eyelid at the dumb things I ask her. Go and check out her fic if you haven't already, it's well worth it.**


	21. Chapter 21

In the grand scheme of things, getting rid of Bickslow's totems was relatively easy. Freed had been around them for so long he had learned some tricks, and if Bickslow could use them on his babies then Freed really shouldn't feel any guilt about lying to them about something exciting happening on the other side of town. He scanned the guildhall out of habit, he had always been wary of checking who was around before he entered any room. It was still before dawn, so it was silent apart from Mira moving around in the kitchen to prepare for the day. He walked slowly back to the kitchen, stepping through the open door and watching Mira as she mixed icing in a big bowl on the table. He closed the door slowly, you never knew when someone would turn up in the guild, before activating a rune across the main entrance of the guild to give him at least a little warning if someone did come in.

He walked up behind Mira, staying as silent as possible before worming his arms around her waist and pressing up against her back. To her credit she didn't jump at all, just leant back into his chest and giggled.

"You're here early."

Freed dropped his head down to kiss her neck, squeezing his arms tighter around her waist before speaking into her skin.

"Of course. I needed to get my good morning kiss."

Mira chuckled as he turned her around so her back hit against the counter, moving the bowl of icing out of the way so she could jump up onto the wooden top. He brushed some stray hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear before capturing her lips in his and kissing her. She smiled into his mouth, wrapping her arms around his neck and entangling her fingers into his hair. He pulled her legs around his waist and ground up against her, causing her to moan. He pulled his mouth away, smirking at her as he did.

"I was robbed of something else this morning as well…"

His hands moved up her legs, pushing her skirt up as he did. His fingertips smoothed up her skin until they grabbed a hold of her hips. Mira chuckled, pitching herself forward to kiss him again before speaking.

"Freed, we weren't going to be doing anything this morning anyway… And I'm sorry about last night, I didn't…"

She was interrupted by Freed's fingers moving swiftly across her back, and a second later waves of pleasure shot up and down her spine as the rune activated. He looked down at her, a mixture of pride and lust in his eyes as she became completely undone from his magic, but he couldn't stay like that for long as she lurched forward and attacked him, biting his lower lip as she pulled him in closer to her with her legs. His fingers started to draw more runes on her skin, each one sending more bliss through her body as she moaned into his mouth. She ground her crotch up against his, before jumping as he yelped.

Opening her eyes she saw one of Bickslow's totems smashing into the back of Freed's head. He swatted at it, before sighing and hiding his head in Mira's shoulder. The totems flew around the both of their heads, occasionally emitting high pitched growls and bumping into Freed.

"Freak! Found Freak!"

"Bad Freak! Lissy is Papa's!"

Mira stared at the little wooden dolls, trying to figure out what had happened. Freed usually put runes up to stop people interrupting them, but if they didn't technically count as people…

"Erm, Freed? What are they talking about?"

The green haired man sighed, not even attempting to bat the dolls away anymore. They were giggling while avoiding him, before descending immediately into the same growls as before.

"Bickslow saw me and Lisanna coming back this morning and now these idiots thinks I'm fucking her."

Mira chuckled at the dolls, stroking Freed's hair as he kept his head buried into her shoulder.

"And, are you?"

Freed groaned, poking her where his hands still rested on her hips, but that just forced her to chuckle more. He was torn between hating and loving the way that Mira almost constantly teased him, but when she squeezed her legs tightly to pull him in he knew that he could get her back.

"You do know that Bickslow can see everything they see, right?"

She squeaked, pushing him away to pull her dress down and cover herself up a little. Freed laughed, before pulling her forward to kiss her on the forehead. A blush dusted across Mira's cheeks, and she looked at the little dolls before realising something.

"Erm… If they're here, and they saw you come in with Lisanna earlier… Does that mean Lisanna and Bickslow are on their own right now?"

Freed sighed, watching Mira as her face fell. He knew exactly what she was getting at, but thought that she would have calmed down about it since the night before.

"Yes, Mira. They're alone. I thought you were okay with them dating?"

Mira sighed, resting her chin on his shoulder as he pulled him back into another hug.

"Yes, I'm not going to stop them dating but I don't have to actually like it either, Freed. Now… How do I control these to send them back home so Lisanna and Bickslow aren't alone anymore?"

She had started to try and coax the totems over to her, and while the majority of them carried on bumping into Freed, the one with the large grin flew over and landed on her hand.

"Lissy?"

Mira giggled at the little totem, of course she and Lisanna looked familiar, but she thought someone who had been around as long as the totems had would be able to tell the difference between them.

"No, I'm not Lissy. I'm Mirajane! I'm Lisanna's sister."

The doll rocked back and forwards on her hand, looking excited before replying, it's voice louder than before.

"Jane! Jane! Lissy Sister!"

Mira giggled again, the doll was rather cute. Freed just looked on in annoyance, the dolls still hadn't bored of bumping into him, growling at him and calling him a freak. Usually they got distracted much before this point, but Bickslow must have told them to keep focus on annoying him. The only way they ever stayed focus was under direct orders from their 'Papa'

"Yes! Lissy's sister! Hey, you know what would be fun? You should go find Lissy!"

The doll squealed in excitement, before lifting off her hand and starting to fly towards the front of the guild. It only got a few feet before another doll, one with an angry face, flew into it and sent it off course.

"No! No Lissy! Freak!"

If Mira didn't know any better, she would have said that the doll sounded angry. The other doll spun back around, before flying into Freed at full force. The rune mage sighed, finally pulling away from Mira when he realised that the dolls really weren't leaving.

"You can't control them, only Bickslow can do that. Do you mind if I go and get a drink? I think I need one…"

* * *

Lisanna decided that Bickslow was an animal. He had told her, as he led her on shaky legs out of his room before giving up and carrying her, that his current aspiration in life was to fuck her in Freed's office, across his desk. After he ran into runes blocking them from entering, that aspiration changed to fucking her in Freed's room, which was strangely devoid of any barriers. She had vetoed the idea, telling him it was more than a little weird and he had dropped her unceremoniously onto the coffee table.

The wood was hard, but strangely warm. Her back arched as Bickslow moved his fingers inside of her, using his free hand to play with her left nipple as his mouth pulled and sucked at the right. She was panting his name into the air, having already asked him if she needed to reciprocate but being told 'fuck babe, these noises are more than enough'. She felt another orgasm rock over her, before he crawled up onto the table with her and lined himself up.

"Ready for round three?"

His smirk sent yet another shot of pleasure to her crotch, and she countered it with one of her own.

"You know, technically this is number ten in the last 24 hours."

Bickslow chuckled as he pushed inside her, and it somehow felt right. Here, underneath Bickslow with him filling her up completely was exactly where she both wanted and needed to be. He leant down to whisper in her ear as he started to move slowly, with none of the urgency they had had before.

"You know I've made a lot of stupid mistakes in my life. But inviting you into my bed yesterday? That wasn't one of them."

Lisanna couldn't help but grin as she wrapped her legs around his waist to pull him in deeper and her fingers wormed their way into his hair. He moved slowly, kissing her deeply as he went. It was slow, and sensual, and made Lisanna fall even further into her feelings for him. She didn't know how long they lay there, moving in a perfect rhythm together. She screamed out his name countless times before he finally grunted out hers, mouth buried into her shoulder to muffle it if only slightly. He collapsed on top of her completely, arms and legs hanging off both sides of the coffee table. Lisanna smiled, rubbing her hands up and down his back, his skin slick with sweat from the exertion of the day.

"Did you want to go and grab a shower, Bicks?"

He shook his head but stood up from the table, holding out a hand to help her up as well. He ran a hand through his hair, pushing it out of his eyes as he did before making his way to the bathroom.

"I fancy a bath. Care to join me?"

She laughed at him bothering to ask her while he was already dragging her across the room by her arm, but nodded anyway. He pushed open the door to the bathroom, and Lisanna sat down on the side of the bath while Bickslow leant over to turn on the water lacrima and started to sniff at various bottles that must have been Freed's. He presented a bottle of bubble bath to Lisanna, giving her a questioning look as he did, and she nodded. He started to pour it in, and Lisanna took the time to look around the room for the first time.

There wasn't a bath at Lisanna's house, Elfman would never have been able to fit in one, but this one was pretty big. It was easily long enough to fit Bickslow in, and had little jets in it to produce bubbles. Along the shelf at the side sat five little rubber ducks, and Lisanna started to play with them as Bickslow turned off the water and climbed into the bath. He pulled her in on top of his lap, facing away from him before he activated the water jets and turned the entire bath into a jacuzzi. She grabbed one of the rubber ducks, dropping it into the water and letting it bob about.

"Why do you have rubber ducks?"

Lisanna shuffled forward as Bickslow started to rub soap over her back, his finger tips lingering on and pressing into her skin a little more than strictly necessary. His voice was low and in right next to her ear when he spoke.

"For when the babies want to have a bath. Why are you surprised I play with toys anyway?"

Lisanna blushed, that was more than a little obvious. His hands moved up onto her shoulders and started to work through the knots that had built up in her shoulders. She moaned at how good it felt, wondering where he had learned to do that. She looked at the array of ducks, and the colour reminded her of something… Pink, Green, Orange…

"These are the same colours as your babies souls."

Bickslow made a noise in affirmation, pulling gently on her shoulders so she pressed back against him. He wrapped his arms around her and knocked all of the remaining ducks into the water.

"Freed got them for the babies one birthday."

Lisanna turned around in his arms to look at him, but he was focused on the little toys instead of her.

"They have birthdays?"

Bickslow laughed, quieter than his normal laugh and started to clean up Lisanna's legs, getting dangerously far up her inner thighs before switching to the other one.

"Of course they do, Lissy. They love parties, there's not a force on this planet that would stop them from celebrating birthdays."

She sighed as she relaxed back into him. She didn't want to alienate him, but his magic really did fascinate her. If he didn't want to tell her he wouldn't, right?

"Bickslow… will you tell me more about souls?"


	22. Chapter 22

Bickslow froze when Lisanna asked the question, but only for a second. His fingers started to move again, dancing over her skin as he began to speak.

"What do you want to know about them?"

Lisanna squirmed as he leant forward, pressing his chest against her back as he smoothed over her knees and calves. His voice was low and directly into her ear, and made something stir in the bottom of her stomach in a way she didn't think would have been possible anymore. She thought through her answer more completely, making sure she knew exactly what she wanted to know.

"Well… when I was in your memories I could see a few people's souls, but they were all different. I always assumed they were just a thing you saw, and they were all the same. I assumed they were all bright green like your magic is."

Bickslow laughed quietly and she could tell that his tongue was lolling out, a theory that was confirmed when she felt it lick up her spine. His hands returned to the outside of her thighs, pulling her back so she bumped into him and felt fully consumed.

"There's not much known about my magic, so everything I can tell you is only things I have noticed alright?"

Lisanna nodded as he rested his cheek against her shoulder so she could feel his breath against her neck.

"I don't really know what makes the colours, I can see family relationships and if people love each other and I know the type of magic affects it a little. Emotions can change the way they look as well, but I only really notice them if it's someone I know really well so I can tell the difference between their soul normally and what it looks like when people are feeling different things. Oh, except fear. I can always tell when people are afraid. Their soul… quivers…"

The last word sent a shiver down her spine as his breath danced across her skin. The water was still warm and bubbling, no doubt from the magic lacrima that were embedded into the bath tub. The bracelets on his wrists were still cold where they bumped against her skin, though, and Lisanna wondered if they couldn't absorb heat if it had originated in magic. His legs curled up and over hers, pulling them apart slightly.

"Can you tell when someone's evil, then?"

Bickslow froze again, and she felt him press his eyes into her neck. He obviously didn't have any issues with his eyes right now and she wondered whether it was just an automatic reaction. It was silent for the longest amount of time, and Lisanna was about to change the subject when he spoke.

"The problem with good and evil is it's so subjective. Someone could be fighting for what they believe in, but if it doesn't follow your beliefs does that make them evil? People in our guild will take jobs that they don't 100% agree with, but fuck it they need the money. Are they evil? A lot of the dark guilds that we fight are fighting for something that they believe in, or for the memory of someone that they loved. Is what they're doing good? I can see if someone thinks what they're doing is right or wrong, but as for good and evil? There's no such thing."

Lisanna let out a breath she didn't realise she had been holding. His hands had stopped moving, and all she could hear were the bubbles in the bath. If she concentrated she could feel his heart beating against her back, but her thoughts were otherwise consumed by what was pressing against the base of her spine. He really was always horny. The thought cleared her head, and she giggled to herself.

"I can't believe such a revelation just came from you."

Bickslow returned her laugh, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her close to him.

"Always with the surprise."

Before she could reply he had flung himself backwards in the bath, dragging Lisanna down with him until she was underneath the water with him. Her magic kicked in as soon as she was submerged fully under the water and gills appeared on her neck as her eyes adjusted to better see. She hoped that Bickslow couldn't see because they were not the most attractive things before she struggled in his grasp and sat back up again. She looked over her shoulder at where he was still immersed, hair flowing out from around his head as he grinned up at her. When he sat up she could see his hair plastered to his head and wondered for a second what he would look like if he didn't shave the strips into his hair.

"Why, Bickslow?"

He laughed one of the manic laughs that often rang around the guild before pulling her back in between his legs and beginning to kiss her neck.

"I needed to get my hair wet to wash it and that was the easiest way to do it."

His left hand had found it's way between her legs and started to move inside of her, stealing any comeback she was planning from her lips. His spare hand grabbed onto her hair and turned her head so he could begin to kiss her roughly. She didn't know why she expected to just bath without doing anything, but that illusion was shattered. His fingers found their own rhythm inside of her as his hand pulled her mouth into his. As soon as she orgasmed he removed his fingers and used both his hands to try and twist her waist impatiently. Without breaking the connection between their mouths Lisanna awkwardly turned in the bath so she was facing him, and moments later he had entered her. As soon as their hips met Bickslow chuckled into her mouth before commenting.

"I'm so fucking glad I talked Freed into getting the bigger bath."

Lisanna giggled back as he grabbed her waist and forced her to move up and down on him. Her giggle turned into a moan as soon as he moved and she wound her hands around the back of his head and into his hair as their mouths met again. She could feel his fingertips dig into her skin and knew they would be adding to the bruises that were already dotting her skin. She moved through her third orgasm and her thighs began to burn, but Bickslow took it on himself to move his hips instead until he grunted her name and finished himself. They were both breathing heavily, and Bickslow grinned as he moved to get out of the bath, pushing Lisanna off him as he stood up.

"Bickslow! We still need to wash our hair!"

He laughed as he walked over to the sink and opened the cabinet above the sink. He grabbed a razor out of it and started to reshave his hair as Lisanna watched.

"What!? It's wet, isn't it?"

Lisanna sighed as the razor started to buzz and he ran it through his hair. Lisanna couldn't really see a difference from where she was sat in the bath, but there were short strands of hair falling into the sink so she reckoned it must do. She watched him in interest as she finished washing her hair and got out of the bath to join him.

* * *

In the end it took even longer for Bickslow to get ready than it took Lisanna. After he had shaved his hair and gelled it up, shaved his face and repainted his nails he needed to put all of his clothes on. By the time he was finally clasping the straps on his helmet she was already ten minutes late to work, and hoped that Mira wouldn't notice. She had grabbed some cold meats and cheese out of the fridge and made a couple of sandwiches which they snacked on on the way to the guild. As soon as he had finished his he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close to his side as his cape fell around the both of them. She wound her own arm around his waist and squeezed him tighter as they walked. Lisanna was amazed that he managed to walk along like a normal human, although he still twitched occasionally when they walked past something that would have been particularly fun to run and jump on. She gave him the opportunity to go, but he just grinned and kissed her on the top of the head as they continued along the street.

"Maybe another day, but right now I just want to spend it with you."

She thought he would pull away as soon as they got to the guild hall, but he didn't even attempt to. She could feel a blush heating her cheeks as they walked through the door, expecting an uproar from the fact they were walking in together but it didn't. As soon as they were inside Lisanna turned around, balancing on tiptoes to plant a kiss on his cheek before running off to the back of the bar to start her shift. Bickslow leant on the wall, watching her hips sway as she left and dreaming of the next time he'd be able to watch them sway like that without clothes. He was just about to go and reclaim his babies before someone grabbed him by the feathers at the back of his hood and yanked him up the stairs.

* * *

 **A/N - a huge thanks to kmmcm who drew a scene of Bickslow and Lisanna in the bath and kinda inspired the last two chapters. And my apologies for this not being as long, things are picking up in my real life again and not leaving me time to write. I hope to get back up to longer chapters soon, though!**

 **I also miss Bickslow's nail varnish so wanted to readd it in. Allow me just this one artistic license?**


	23. Chapter 23

Bickslow stumbled as he was dragged up the stairs backwards. Whoever was pulling him was obviously much shorter than him cause he had to bend down as they pulled on the feathers. Bending backwards wasn't that much of a pain to him, it was trying to go up the stairs that was the problem. As his heel slammed into the stairs again he started to twist around so he could find a better angle.

"Dude! What the fuck? What do you…"

As he turned around so he could go forward up the stairs his eyes became level with a very nice looking arse, and he suddenly realised who was tugging him up the stairs.

"Oh. OH! Well… I had a good life."

He heard a sigh from above him and the feathers were tugged harder. He knew he would lose a few, which was annoying because they were hard to get hold of. You couldn't exactly just pop into a shop on the way home. Looking over the railings he waved to everyone who was in the guild, it was still pretty quiet because of the early morning but he thought he could see Freed over in the corner.

"Goodbye, friends! I love you all!"

His captor stopped on the stairs, forcing Bickslow to run into her as he stopped paying attention. He looked down at a very angry looking Mirajane and gulped. This was not going to end well for him.

"Please shut up."

Bickslow mimed zipping his mouth shut as she grabbed a hold of the clasp at the front of his cape and continued to pull him to the upstairs of the guild. He could get out, sure, his cape had a quick release for if an enemy grabbed it, but he had a feeling that if he escaped the pain would only be worse. And he was in bad enough trouble as it was.

"Well… at least I got to bang your sister."

A growl erupted from her throat as she threw him into one of the offices with a lot more strength than she looked like she had. His mind wondered just how she used that strength against Freed in the bedroom before he shook his head to get the thought out of his mind. Mira slammed him back against the wall, and his head bounced off it a couple of times, making him glad for the extra padding he had in the back of his hood. Her arms were either side of his chest, and he wondered whether she had left dents in the wall.

"Could you fucking not?"

Bickslow swallowed heavily, brain desperately flicking through what he could say to get out of this situation alive. Like many times in his life, his brain completely failed him. He looked down at the demon and grinned.

"Mirajane Strauss. I think we both know why I brought you up here."

Mira's anger was overtaken by confusion for a second, and Bickslow took the opportunity to try and lighten the mood in the room slightly.

"I recently discovered you have been dating my best friend without my knowledge. This is inexcusable. There are much better goods on offer, I mean, look at me."

He indicated his body, grinning cheekily down at the takeover mage, who just looked even more annoyed than before. Bickslow gulped and tried again.

"Look, Mira. I am flattered and you really are an incredible woman, but you're dating my best friend and I really am loyal to Lisanna so anything we do is going to have to be a one-time thi…"

His words were stopped by a slap to the face and his mouth hung open as he stared to the side. His hand made it's way to his cheek and he felt the heat coming off it already. He suddenly felt very sorry for Freed.

"Wow, kinky… I like it."

Mira reached up and grabbed his mask, pulling his face around to look at her. He clenched his eyes closed in precaution as they shined with magic. Her voice was low again and sent shivers of fear down his spine.

"Bickslow…"

Bickslow swallowed again, opening his eyes to see Mira's soul filled with anger. She was very close to transforming into Satan's Soul involuntarily. Wow, she really must hate him.

"So… I'm guessing this isn't going to be one of those times where you use Satan's Soul to seduce me, right?"

"Shut. The. Fuck. Up."

Magic was welling up around the both of them, and she had clamped a hand around his throat. His eyes screwed closed again, if she took over Mira here it would really be the end of him. And he really did want to fuck Lisanna a few more times before he died. His hands came up to hover over her wrist, ready to pull her away if he needed to. Not that he thought it would help. There was no way he was going to be able to overpower her. He sighed heavily, something that was difficult with a hand clasped around his throat, but he knew what he wanted to do. And something told him she would know if he told her a lie.

"Mirajane. I… I know what you think about me. Because it's what everyone thinks about me. And I know it sounds cliché, but I'm not going to hurt her. I mean, fuck me, if I did it wouldn't just be you and Elfman that cut my dick off. And I really am kinda attached to that. In more ways than one. Everything's going at her pace. I can tell you I'm not going to get bored of her, but if she gets bored of me I'll leave the guild so it won't be as difficult for her. I've heard life in the Oracion Seis is pretty good, if they let me in..."

His sentence trailed off as he felt Mira's hand leave his throat, and after he made sure his eyes were under control he risked peeking out of them and down at his attacker. Her magic had subsided, which was good, but she still looked pretty angry. He wondered what else he could say to stop her from murdering him.

"Bickslow… you'd leave the guild for her?"

He shrugged. If there was one thing Bickslow was good at, it was running away from things. He clamped his mouth shut, not wanting to aggravate her any further. They stood staring at each other long enough for Bickslow's boredom to overtake his self-preservation and open his big dumb mouth again.

"So… now we've sorted that out can we just kiss and make up?"

Mira sighed, pushing away from the wall and turning around. He stayed still as she took a few deep breaths before she turned around with a smile on her face. Bickslow didn't trust it. Her soul didn't look too happy.

"Okay, Bickslow. I won't kill you just yet. But just because you seem to legitimately make Lisanna happy. But as soon as you stop making her happy I swear I will take delight in defiling you like you defiled her. Oh. And don't think I'll forget how you cockblocked me this morning."

Bickslow laughed a hollow laugh, before inching his way along the wall to find the door. He opened it up, figuring out his escape route before he opened his mouth again. He'd already connected with his babies and seen everything that they had seen that morning. He grinned, letting his tongue loll out as he did.

"Thanks, Mira. I'm glad we had this little talk. One more thing. Those green panties you're wearing? They really look good on you."

He took three quick steps back, vaulting over the balcony backwards as he heard a shout of anger come from the room. He rolled on the ground floor as soon as he hit, coming up to a stand before sitting on a bar stool in front of Lisanna, who was staring at him in bewilderment.

"Hey, Lissy. Could I get four double shots of the strongest liquor you have and protection from your sister?"

* * *

Lisanna looked at Bickslow in utter confusion. He looked pretty dishevelled, purple feathers all over his head and a red mark that looked suspiciously like a hand print was starting to appear on his cheek. Anger welled up inside of her as she figured out what happened, but Bickslow grabbed her hand and pressed it to his lips.

"Don't worry, I calmed her down. Maybe. A little bit. Just stop her from coming and bothering me again?"

Lisanna looked over at him, sighing as she pulled her hand away and grabbed some shot glasses from underneath the bar. Bickslow glanced over at Freed, still surrounded by his babies as he hadn't quite gotten around to letting them know he was there yet, before turning back to Lisanna as she poured a bright blue liquid into the small glasses. It reminded him of her eyes.

"You know what? Gimme a beer and a Perfect Singapore Sling as well, please. I think that idiot needs it."

Lisanna grinned, finishing up with her shots, starting to pour a beer with one hand before gathering the ingredients she needed for the cocktail. Bickslow turned around to look at his totems again, knowing he really didn't want to have his back to them when they figured out he was back. He closed his eyes as he allowed the babies to become aware of his presence again, and held his arms out to hug them all at once.

The guild hall was suddenly filled with whistles and squeaks, and Bickslow opened his eyes to grab each baby out of the air before they slammed into him. They didn't stay still for long, spinning around his head as they all spoke at once. He knew that no one else would be able to understand them, but he could hear what they wanted to say through their souls.

"Papa! Papa!"

"Freak! Freak and Jane!"

"Lissy is Papa's!"

"Love Papa! Miss Papa!"

"No! Love Lissy! Miss Lissy!"

The last was Pippi, and Bickslow grabbed her out of the air and pulled her in front of his face as she shrieked in excitement. Bickslow raised his eyebrows, knowing she would feel the intention even if the top part of his face was covered.

"Really? Really Pippi? Ever heard of biting the hand that feeds you?"

Lisanna looked up from placing down his drinks, grinning as him as the doll broke away from his hands and flew over to land on her head.

"What was that, Bickslow?"

Bickslow sighed, directing the last four babies to land on the bar so he could place a shot on each of their heads, making sure they were balanced perfectly before he grabbed the bigger drinks himself.

"Pippi says she prefers you to me. I told her I took offence to that."

Lisanna paused, holding her head perfectly still so the doll on her head didn't fall off before she looked up at him with a confused expression.

"She? Pippi is a girl?"

Bickslow scoffed as his babies lifted off the bar, Pippi staying solidly on Lisanna's head. Apparently, he'd lost her completely for the time being.

"Of course. Pippi and Pappa are girls. Listen, babe, I need to go talk to Freed for a bit and I think we may need a little more alcohol before we're done so can you load the babies back up with the same order if I send them over to you?"

Lisanna replied in the affirmative as she headed over to serve Nab, still unable to move her head too much in fear she would disturb Pippi.

"Sweet cheers babe. If Pippi gets too annoying just lemme know and I'll bring her back over here."

He turned away from the bar, the babies spinning around him as he did and he had to force them to calm down so none of the liquid spilt as he headed over to where Freed was still moping at their usual table in the corner.

* * *

Bickslow realised something was wrong with Freed when he realised the rune mage was cradling a beer to his chest. He checked in with his totems, before realising it must just be the amazing cock block Bickslow had managed earlier in the day. He slammed the cocktail in front of the other man, taking a drink out of his own beer before he grabbed the shots from the totems and divided them between the two of them. The totems took to exploring around the guild, they loved doing it while it was quiet and it was easy to get back to Bickslow, as Freed looked up with a look of pure anger on his face.

"Really, Bickslow? I do drink beer, you know. I've been drinking beer the entire time we've known each other. Why do you insist on giving me these drinks?"

Bickslow leant forward on his elbow, resting his cheek on his fist. He pushed his own soul out to push Freed's drinks closer, grinning as he did.

"Cause you liked it yesterday. Come on. It's on me."

Freed sighed, finishing the last of his beer and sending it back to the bar in a cloud of runes. He looked up at Bickslow, most definitely looking worse for wear. Freed stared at his mask for a few moments, before his thirst for knowledge overtook him and he had to ask. Despite the drinks at the guildhall being heavily discounted for members, it wasn't like Bickslow to willingly buy Freed drinks. Not when he was sober, anyway.

"Okay then, Bickslow. What is this in aid of?"

He regretted asking almost immediately as Bickslow grinned widely, tongue lolling out as it was wont to do. The Sieth grabbed his beer and knocked it against Freed's drink, spilling a little of the liquid down onto the table.

"Well, Freed. I got laid this morning. Many times."

Freed groaned audibly, refusing to take any drink from Bickslow. He had hoped that the idiot would have had enough intelligence to know not to brag about having sex with the youngest Strauss sibling, but obviously not. Bickslow picked up one of the shot glasses, using it to push another closer to Freed.

"Come on, Freed, my buddy. We need to discuss some things."

Freed watched his friend's eyes flash green behind his mask. Well. That wasn't a good sign. He looked down at the little glass of blue liquor in front of him, resigning himself to his fate as he picked it up and threw it down his throat. It burned the whole way down as Bickslow cackled maniacally before drinking his own.

"What do you want to discuss, Bickslow? You know I tell you everything."

Bickslow snorted into his beer, staring at Freed until he had swallowed and could speak again.

"Mira. Jane. Strauss."

Each word was punctuated by Bickslow pushing one of his fingers against Freed's forehead until he batted it off. He took a sip out of his drink, annoyed at how much he did enjoy it. It was never good to allow Bickslow to know he had flustered you. Not that anyone could hide it from him for long anyway. His eyes were glowing, and Freed just knew his soul was being inspected.

"That's a very good point. But what about you and Lisanna?"

Bickslow pulled his finger away from Freed's forehead, crossing his arms as he leant back against the wall of the guildhall.

"Me and Lisanna have been a thing for literally a day. Believe me, I would have told you about it as soon as we were both in private together. But you and Mira? You don't go from not being together to fucking in a kitchen in a day."

Freed cursed under his breath in a language he knew Bickslow didn't know. He had a point. Usually, he didn't keep things from Bickslow, both because he really was his best friend and because Bickslow always found out one way or another. And it was always more painful when Bickslow found out himself. But he really didn't want him knowing about Mira for some reason. His thought process had completely left him, and he did the one thing he could. Correct Bickslow's grammar.

"Lisanna and I."

Bickslow slammed his beer down onto the table, a shocked expression crossing his face. Freed was confused for a second, correcting his grammar wasn't exactly shocking. He was sure Bickslow did know how to talk properly, he just never did it just to wind him up.

"You and Lisanna too!? For fuck's sake, Freed! The demon isn't enough to keep you busy?"

Freed sighed, dropping his head down onto the table. After a few minutes, when Bickslow's cackles had died down he sat back up, grabbing the next shot of blue liquid and knocking it back. He was losing his ability to think straight already, but sometimes that was better when trying to reason with Bickslow. As soon as the glass was empty Bickslow gathered it up with the others, grabbing one of the totems as it passed him and balancing on top to send it back over to Lisanna. Freed was suddenly very glad for the sobering rune he kept in his pocket at all times. It looked like he was going to need it later on.

Bickslow looked over at him, his mouth clamped together tightly before he spoke again, voice lower and more serious now.

"Freed? Can we be serious for a moment?"

Freed looked at him incredulously. One of Bickslow's most annoying talents was making it seem like you were the one being unreasonable when it was really all him.

"Really, Bickslow? Really?"

Bickslow held a hand up, stopping Freed before he could go any further.

"To be honest, Freed, I am just really upset that you didn't tell me. We've been friends for so long now, I thought you could trust me with anything. Saying that I'm also glad you finally managed to fuck someone. I thought you had gone all celibate on me, and I was starting to get really concerned."

Freed almost spat out the drink he had just taken, realising that he was maybe slightly drunker than he was anticipating. What even were the shots that Bickslow gave him?

"Me? Celibate? Oh, Bickslow, I thought you knew me better than that."

The totem had returned with four more shots balanced on top of it, and Bickslow grabbed two before sending the remaining over to Freed. The two men clinked the glasses, and this time when the liquid slid down his throat it didn't burn as badly as it had before. Bickslow grabbed his hand once the glass was empty, and Freed could feel him staring into his eyes.

"I just… I don't want a girl to come between us, man."

Freed froze for a second. Bickslow couldn't be drunk enough to start being this serious already, could he?

"Bickslow… I promise you…"

"Unless it's like, a threesome situation."

Freed slammed his head against the table again, and suddenly he wished he had a mask like Bickslow's. Strands of conversation clicked together in his mind, whispers he had heard around the guild along with what Bickslow had just said. Bickslow couldn't have…

He turned his head to the side, resting his cheek against the wood as he closed his eyes in annoyance.

"Bickslow… it really REALLY hurts me to ask you this, but are you the one behind all the Raijinshuu threesome rumours?"

He heard fingers tapping on the table behind his head, and saw black varnished nails pushing another bright blue shot into his vision. He didn't want another. Not right now, anyway.

"… no…"

Bickslow had never been very good at lying to him. Whenever he tried to lie all Freed heard was the little boy he had met over a decade ago. But right now he wasn't up to being sentimental.

"You ARE! Dammit, Bickslow!"

He felt a hand stroke his hair back and tried to dodge out of the way before giving in and just allowing it to happen. Bickslow was doing it out of pure annoyance, he was sure, but he did kind of like it all the same.

"What? After we started staying around the guild more all the mystery around us stopped and we got boring."

Freed scoffed as he watched Bickslow's free hand drumming a rhythm onto the table. Freed thought he recognised it, but not quite.

"I genuinely don't think anyone ever found us boring, Bicks."

He felt a heavy item press against his back and realised after a moment that the totem that had been running errands for them had landed on his back.

"Well, not me, for sure. But I meant the Raijinshuu as a whole. Your boringness drags down my unique awesomeness and it balances out somewhere in the middle."

Freed groaned, not wanting to sit up at all. He hated Bickslow always calling him boring. He wasn't boring! He had his own unique style as well as Bickslow, and it wasn't just that.

"Bickslow, I literally have a demon inside of me."

A cackle filled his ears, and he knew he had said something wrong before it occurred to him exactly what it was.

"Okay, Freed. I didn't need to know that much detail on your sex life. Anyway, talking about mediocrity, where the fuck is Ever?"

Freed groaned. He couldn't quite remember, and he managed to slur his way through telling Bickslow that.

"I know. I'm sure I know. But I don't know."

He heard a sigh from above him, the deep clunk of metal hitting wood and within seconds Bickslow's face filled his vision. Freed thought too slowly to close his eyes, and the last thing he saw was Bickslow's eyes flash green before he was dragged into his own memories.

* * *

 **A/N - as always, all of the thanks possible goe to Gajeelswoman for betaing this for me :) Go and check out her stuff if you haven' already, it's great ^_^**


	24. Chapter 24

Being taken over by Bickslow was an odd experience. The first couple of times it had happened had been horribly jarring, and Bickslow later explained it was because their two souls were so different. But due to the Sieth's habit of constantly taking him over, now Freed simply felt like he was falling asleep. He even felt himself sobering as Bickslow soul merged into his, and realised it was because of the other man's sobriety.

The way Bickslow searched through memories was a completely imprecise art, Freed had realised. From what he could gather Bickslow just _felt_ what he wanted and the other soul would bend to his will and show him what it thought he meant. The complete lack of scientific reasoning had always infuriated Freed, but he supposed it could explain why Bickslow was the way he was. There were no apparent rules in Bickslow's life, and that was reflected in his magic.

Freed was always completely passive when Bickslow took control of his soul. He had learnt early on that struggling hurt both him and his friend, so as soon as he had already lost control he gave it up willingly. He felt the other man search around for Evergreen, and Freed himself allowed the memory of the last time he saw their team mate float to the surface. He felt a spike of excitement jolt through Bickslow's soul as he found what he needed, and settled back to relive the events of the previous night.

Bickslow's excitement soon faded to worry when he realised just what he was witnessing. He had planned to just watch what happened to Evergreen, but suddenly he was intrigued by what was going on. Lisanna looked distressed, and the words coming from Mira's mouth told him why. Wow. Mira really didn't like him. He needed to know what was going on, why Lisanna was hurting. He felt Freed panicking, and the Rune Mage's thoughts of not wanting Bickslow to see what was happening, and it only made Bickslow more determined to know what had happened. Why had Lisanna not told him?

Freed had annoyingly kept his eyes focused on Mirajane. Typical. Bickslow wasn't surprised at the insults coming out of their mouths, he'd heard them all millions of times before, and his heart swelled with pride when Lisanna defended him. He could feel Freed's hands moving behind his back creating runes, and wondered if it had ended in a fight. He watched with morbid curiosity as the fight continued, and it wasn't until he saw Lisanna's conviction fail that he thought maybe he should stop. What if she said something he didn't want to hear? Was he betraying her trust? He winced when she so casually told her siblings about her soul, it was something he preferred to keep quiet, and waited for Freed to jump in and back up her story, but it never came. Mira just kept yelling, Lisanna kept getting upset, and Freed just stood by and did nothing. Bickslow felt anger boiling up inside him, and pulled his soul away from Freed's before he could see any more.

He sat back up in his chair, grabbing his mask off the table and slipping it over his eyes as Freed shook his head to clear it and stared up at him.

"Bickslow, I…"

"You never defended me." Bickslow spoke between gritted teeth, trying to remain calm as he clenched his fists. "I thought we were supposed to be friends."

Freed turned his head away, not able to look him in the eye anymore and Bickslow couldn't tell if he was embarrassed or angry. He himself was too distracted to use his soul sight to the best of his ability, and his over reliance on it had destroyed his ability to read facial cues. When Freed spoke his voice was so quiet Bickslow had to strain to hear it.

"What was I supposed to do, Bickslow? Lie to her?"

Bickslow's fist had slammed on the table before he even knew what he was doing. Freed didn't react straight away, simply turning slowly to meet the Sieth mage in what would have been his eyes, ignoring the green magic that shone from behind his mask. Bickslow started to shout, but hurriedly lowered his voice when he remembered where they were.

"You know how much she means to me. You can't lie, I saw it with my own two eyes. You know that her soul belongs to me, and mine to her."

Freed leant forward in his chair, resting his forearms on the table as he brought his face closer to Bickslow. Bickslow could smell the alcohol on his breath as his eyes narrowed.

"I don't know what you're so fucking mad about. I was a little preoccupied trying to stop your precious Lisanna from throwing a temper tantrum and killing her sister."

Freed sat back in his chair, drumming his fingers on the table as he smirked over at the Sieth.

"Then again, maybe you'd rather I'd let her so she can better understand that darkness you're always talking about."

Bickslow's hand shot out so fast Freed didn't have time to react. He grabbed the rune mage's wrist and tugged, pulling him over so his mask clanged against the man's forehead. Stars started to swim in front of Freed's eyes, but Bickslow kept talking. A little head injury never hurt anyone.

"You don't joke about that, Freed."

Pressing a hand to the other man's forehead he pushed him back on the chair, still disorientated as Bickslow threw his hand away.

"Anyway, that's not the point. The point is all you had to do was tell them what me telling her that her soul was beautiful meant. Telling them I'm in love with her. That I have been for years. All those girls were nothing on her, you know that. I used them because I couldn't have _her_ , and you knew perfectly well why I couldn't have her as well. Don't try and guilt trip me, Freed. Not when you're in the wrong."

Freed's head still spun, both from the alcohol and the probable concussion Bickslow had just given him. He rubbed it harshly, somehow making it worse before he smirked again. Bickslow fought dirty, but he hadn't beaten Freed yet.

"Is it still a guilt trip if it's true?"

He groaned at the throbbing in the front of his skull, trying to decide whether another drink would make it better or worse. He decided on worse.

"Fuck off, Bickslow. I'm exhausted because your girlfriend's family wouldn't let me sleep. I'm drunk because your babies wouldn't let me fu…"

Bickslow coughed loudly, forcing Freed to stop in his sentence. The Sieth's tongue was hanging out, and Freed dreaded why.

"Woah there, buddy! You sure you want everyone to know that little tidbit?"

Freed looked around the guild. There weren't many people there, but those that were had been glancing over at them occasionally. Somehow in his alcohol impaired brain it made him even angrier that Bickslow had just saved him. He grabbed his last shot of alcohol, throwing it down his throat and realised that he was enjoying the feeling as it burned all the way down.

"Fuck. Just… Go to hell Bickslow."

The Sieth laughed again, the noise echoing around the guildhall as devoid of members as it was. Freed shot him a withering look, and Bickslow slammed both of his hands on the table, staring into his eyes as his face went blank.

"Been there, done that, found it boring and they kicked me out anyway."

Freed scoffed. It was something Bickslow bragged about often, Freed couldn't even remember if he had found it funny the first time but he had definitely bored of it by now.

"Really, Bickslow? You pick a fight with me and then decide to be a dickhead?"

Bickslow leant forward on one elbow, leaning his cheek onto his palm and looking at the rune mage incredulously.

"I mean, I _could_ have let you spill your deepest darkest sec…" The man paused for a second, his face shifting to one of contemplation before he continued. "Nope, you know what that's not even close to your deepest darkest secret. But still. I stopped you from telling the whole guild you were gonna fuck Mira in the kitchen this morning, does that not count for anything?"

Freed sighed, deciding not to point out the obvious lack of logic in Bickslow arguing he was a good friend because he stopped Freed from saying a secret out loud by saying the secret out loud. Bickslow was a force against logic, anyway.

"No, Bickslow. Once again you're just being a selfish prick in a sad attempt to be funny."

Bickslow scoffed, throwing his arms to the side in an admittance of defeat as he sat back in his chair.

"Yeah, well, that's me. Selfish slut that fucks whoever he sees and can't be trusted. I thought you were the smart one, Freed, but apparently you haven't even picked up on that yet."

Freed looked over at his friend, trying to formulate a response. Bickslow was annoyingly good at offending himself in arguments and thus giving you very little to work with. You could either agree with him, which he classed as winning; or argue against him, which he also classed as winning because you were being nice to him. In the end he didn't need to say anything at all, as a certain takeover mage had made her way over, carefully balancing a totem on the top of her head.

"Is everything okay, Bickslow? Pippi started to get agitated so I came to see…"

As soon as he heard her voice Bickslow was on his feet, spinning to face Lisanna as he did. The moment they were facing each other he grabbed her waist, pulling her closer to him as he did and stopping her speech. Pippi lifted from her head as Bickslow wound one hand into her hair, the other making it's way down to rest on her hip as he bent his head and kissed her deeply. Lisanna squeaked at the obvious display of affection, before slightly resting her hands on his chest. After a moment Bickslow pulled away, stroking a thumb across her cheek and smiling down at her softly.

"I'm yours, Lisanna. Don't forget that, yeah?"

"I… I won't." She blushed as she stumbled through her words, and within moments Bickslow had let go of her and stepped back to the table, picking up his beer and finishing it in one gulp.

"Babe, can you keep an eye on the babies for a bit? They're around here… somewhere."

He looked around the hall, realising that at this precise moment he only knew where Pippi was. It wasn't worrying, they all knew their way back to him and if it got too bad he could always connect with them to find them. He slammed his tankard down on the table, using his now empty hand to point at Freed.

"Sober up, Justine, and meet me outside. We need to talk."

And with that he was walking out the front of the guild, and Lisanna tried not to think of how fucking sexy he looked with his cape billowing out behind him.

* * *

 **I am so sorry this is so late and so short! Gajevy week really took it out of me, but hopefully we are returning to our standard Sunday release this week! As always the biggest of thanks goes to Gajeelswoman for betaing, chiseling away at writer's block and sharpening my weapons for me, and Kmmcm for being my blind tester audience each week. Love ya both *less than three***


	25. Chapter 25

Freed groaned as Lisanna turned and left the table, stumbling around in his pocket and pulling out a piece of paper with a half completed rune already drawn on the front. Grabbing a pen and drawing the last line he felt a wave of clarity wash over him as the effects of the alcohol he had consumed that morning were reversed. It would be more effective if he had drawn it on his skin, and in fact, he still felt slightly tipsy, but he knew from experience that working runes while drunk was difficult at the best of times. He stood from his chair, swaying slightly before heading towards the front doors of the guild.

Bickslow was completely unpredictable, that was the only rule Freed had ever been able to make about him. The Sieth mage could want to start a fight, just want to talk or even could have run away and made Freed walk outside solely to embarrass him. He walked slowly around the side of the hall, noticing Bickslow sat on one of the benches by the pool. Oh. That was dangerous. Freed had gone into that water far too much for his liking. He stripped out of his coats and boots just in case, lying them silently on a wall as he watched the Sieth. Even without his facial expressions, his body language was easy to read. He was slumped over, hands clasped together in front of him as his head hung low. Freed padded over to him, still ever so cautious, and waited for the man to notice he was there. He'd learned it was better to give Bickslow time when he was upset.

Freed had counted nearly five minutes before the other man moved, but when he did it was fast. Freed felt his right eye swell with magic, and he was halfway through writing a rune to attack when he felt Bickslow's arms envelop him. The Sieth was so much taller than him that Freed was pulled into his chest, hastily cancelling his magic as Bickslow spoke.

"I'm sorry, Freed. I just don't want to lose her. Not now."

Freed sighed. Bickslow could change emotions on the flip of a coin, and with Freed at least he was pretty quick to forgive. He raised his hands behind the Sieth's back, closed his eyes as he did. He never admitted it, but Bickslow did give quite good hugs.

"So don't."

Bickslow chuckled softly, a laugh so different to the one that he used in public and Freed knew he had to be hurting.

"Mira and Elfman seemed to be doing a pretty good job of ensuring she ran away last night."

Not just hurting. Bickslow was scared. Freed cursed himself that he hadn't noticed before, but finally, he blamed it on the alcohol in his system. It must be impairing his judgement.

"And yet she still came back to you this morning." Freed could feel Bickslow nod above him slowly, his chin dug into Freed's head as the rune mage's face still pressed to his chest. "And what does that tell you?"

Bickslow sighed deeply, and Freed felt the cold chill of his mask as he moved to lay it on Freed's scalp.

"I just… man, I wish you could see it, Freed. Her soul. But not just see it, feel it too. I wish you could understand what she means to me." Freed pulled against Bickslow's grip a little, scoffing as he tried to look up at his friend. Sometimes he forgot this was the first time Bickslow had ever been in love.

"You think you're the first person to be in love with someone completely?"

Bickslow's face remained impassive, but his arms tightened around Freed's waist as he picked the rune mage up into the air and spun them around. Freed knew what was happening immediately and started to kick to try and get loose. Bickslow was laughing maniacally as he made his way over to the pool and continued to spin.

"Dark Ecriture W…"

He was halfway through the spell when he hit the water, the cold shocking his system and breaking his concentration. The spell morphed in his system, and his magic kicked in to try and protect him. He felt his body start to shift into Absolute Darkness, but as he floated up and he was able to suck in a breath he managed to hold it down. He swore out loud, starting to swim back over to the side of the pool to get back out. Bickslow had fallen back down onto the bench, holding onto his sides as screamed laughing. Freed hauled himself out of the pool, stripping out of his shirt immediately to start drying it off. Bickslow was completely oblivious to him as he walked around the bench, noticing the gap that had appeared between Bickslow's cape and the back of his hood. He grinned, starting to wring it out over the gap so the water dripped down inside of his clothes. Bickslow shrieked, jumping up into the air and spinning around to face the Rune Mage.

"Fucking cunt! I had a bath this morning and everything!"

Freed laughed, throwing the wet shirt over his shoulder as he turned to collect the rest of his clothes.

"Come on, Bickslow. I'll get Mira to light a fire in the guild so we can dry off."

The Sieth mage grinned, throwing an old glass that was on the table next to him at his friend and watching it smash on the ground next to him. Without a soul to put into the object he was next to useless at aiming.

"But Freed, don't you know it's better when it's wetter?"

Freed's face didn't even change as he tried not to acknowledge what Bickslow was implying, and carried on walking in spite of the flying projectile.

"Bickslow, guildhall. Now. Otherwise, you're going in the fucking pool."

* * *

Lisanna carefully took a cake of the oven, still trying to balance Pippi on her head. She knew that the totem would probably self-adjust whatever she did, but she didn't want to risk it. The totem had been singing all day, no words just random babbling to a tune. Lisanna had been joining in as she worked in the kitchen, just singing the odd word here and there and every time she did Pippi got more excited and sang louder and louder. Lisanna leant her hip on the counter as she waited for the cake to cool, starting to absentmindedly put icing into a piping bag as she sang along with the totem.

"Jane! JANE!"

Lisanna turned around as the totem on her head started to scream, noticing Mira coming into the kitchen. She sighed, turning back around and swearing that the cake wasn't cold enough to ice yet. She reached across the counter, grabbing the strawberries out of the fridge and starting to cut them to put on the cake.

"Lisanna… why is that thing on your head?"

Lisanna kept cutting the strawberries, starting to whistle as Pippi started to sing "Jane" over and over in time with her own tune.

"Lisanna, answer me. Why is that thing on your head?"

Lisanna cut a strawberry more violently than strictly necessary, still refusing to look at her sister.

"SHE is spending time with me today. Do you have a problem with HER too?"

Pippi switched her song so she was alternating between singing "Jane" and "Lissy", still keeping up with the tune that Lisanna had started. Mira moved her way over to rest her hip on the counter in front of her sister.

"Lisanna… about last night…"

Lisanna paused, staring at the strawberry in front of her while Pippi whistled happily. After a few moments, she pulled the cake over to her, grabbing the icing to decorate it. Mira sighed, rubbing her temples. If only her sister didn't share the same stubbornness.

"Lisanna…"

"Lissy mad Jane!"

Mira looked up at the doll, cocking her head as the totem repeated her statement.

"You can make them talk too?"

Lisanna shook her head, making Pippi squeal in excitement at the movement and start to spin.

"Nope. They're more perceptive than you give them credit for."

Pippi shrieked happily, switching her position so she landed over on Mira's head and bounced up and down.

"Jane Lissy Sister!"

Mira ducked a little under the totem's attention. It wasn't the first time she'd been around Bickslow's dolls, but she was currently trying to come to grips with the information Lisanna was giving her.

"Lisanna… just talk to me, please. I spoke to Bickslow this morning…"

"Yes. I know." Lisanna said between gritted teeth, taking advantage of Pippi paying attention to Mira in order to run and grab more strawberry sauce in the fridge.

"He told me he needed protection from you. Could you please refrain from threatening to kill my boyfriend?"

Mira sighed as Pippi jumped into the air again, flying around the two of them as she resumed her song.

"I didn't threaten to kill him. I just wanted to… set some boundaries. Lisanna, I trust you even if I don't trust him. It's going to take me a... while to get used to this. Bickslow is one of my guildmates, one of my family but I don't… for fuck's sake Lisanna I just don't want to see you get hurt."

Lisanna hung her head, suddenly regretting her decision as soon as Pippi rested on the base of her head where it met her neck. She rested her hands on top of the counter, easing the weight on her shoulders as she tried to stabilise the totem.

"I wouldn't lean on that counter if I were you, you don't know what… ow!"

Bickslow's voice was cut off by a slap to the back of the head, and Pippi squealed as she flew off to greet her Papa. Lisanna looked up to see Freed stood in the entrance to the kitchen, shirtless and completely soaked as Bickslow stood next to him looking sheepish. Mira looked between them, cocking her head in confusion.

"Freed… why are you wet?"

The rune mage growled, looking sideways at Bickslow who grinned wildly, leaning back to where he thought there was a counter before flailing when there wasn't one there and deciding to simply cross his arms nonchalantly.

"I have some very good intelligence that Freed was being _incredibly_ dirty this morning so I decided he needed a bath."

Mira narrowed her eyes at Bickslow, who grinned straight back at her. Freed sighed, dropping his boots down onto the floor before stepping in between the two of them.

"Mira… can you please light the fire so we can dry off? I may have soaked Bickslow's back as well."

Mira quickly exited the kitchen, no longer trusting herself to be polite around her sister's… friend. She couldn't quite bring herself to say "boyfriend" just yet. Freed followed her out, leaving Bickslow still grinning in the centre of the kitchen. He took three steps across the room, grabbing Lisanna by the waist and pulling her close to him.

"Pippi, go and play with the others for a while"

Lisanna watched the totem fly out of the kitchen before Bickslow wormed his left hand up and around the back of her neck.

"So… seeing as your sister has been banging in here…"

Lisanna squeaked as he backed her up against the counter, dropping his head down to start kissing her neck as his mask bumped against her skin.

"Erm, what do you mean Mira has been banging in here?"

She felt his tongue lick along her collarbone as he laughed out loud, before mumbling his answer against her skin.

"The babies came across Mira and Freed about to bang in here earlier."

His left hand pulled her neck tighter into his mouth as he bared his teeth and nibbled at her skin, and she felt his right move its way up the inside of her shirt to grab a hold of her breast roughly. She gasped at the pleasure that shot through her body, before grabbing a hold of Bickslow's shoulders and pushing him away. He looked down at her, edges of his mouth turned down in disappointment as she stared at where his eyes would be.

"We can't just have sex in the kitchen, Bickslow. They have runes to stop people coming in. We don't."

Bickslow groaned in frustration, pulling her in for another kiss as she pushed herself up on her tiptoes to keep in connection with his lips. His mouth was hungry as his tongue pushed into hers, and she was left breathless by the time she pulled away.

"There are some rooms in the back of the guild, we might be able to…"

A grin split across his face, and he pulled away from her, turning around to let her show him the way. She pushed off the counter, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the back corridors of the guild behind the kitchen.

* * *

 **A/N - The biggest of thanks needs to go to Gajeelswoman for all the help with this chapter, I would have been so stuck without her!**


	26. Chapter 26

The room that Lisanna lead him to was usually only used for storage. It was full of old crockery and furniture that had been saved from the destruction of the old guildhall but not moved out of storage yet, along with new furniture that had been purchased but never actually moved out into the main hall. As soon as they were inside Bickslow backed her up against a crate, grabbing her waist and lifting her up onto it. It was mere seconds later when he attacked the join where her neck met her shoulder, teeth biting into her skin again and making her squirm against him.

"Bickslow… We can't…"

A particularly vicious bite made her squeak, covering her mouth with one hand as the other held onto the back of his head. His voice was muffled against her skin and vibrated through her shoulder.

"I told you, the babies found Freed and Mira totally about to fuck in the kitchen. If she can, why can't we? Come on, we'll make it quick."

He pulled away from her, hands tugging at the bottom of her shirt before pulling it over her head and dropping it onto the crate beside her. Hands immediately found her breasts, squeezing them through her bra roughly, fuck he didn't give them the attention they deserved before he moved on. His fingers traced over her skin, committing all the bruises he found there to memory before pulling off his cape and throwing it down next to the two of them.

"Bickslow, we can keep our clothes…"

Her voice was cut off by his mouth pressing heavily into hers, biting and tugging at her lower lip as she tried to get her legs around his hips, but to no avail. As soon as he was sure she was going to shut up Bickslow pulled away again, pulling his top out of his belt and over his head before fiddling with Lisanna's shorts to pull them down her legs.

"I know, but I fucking love the feel of your skin on mine. Think you can stay quiet?"

Lisanna bit at her own lip, really not sure before his fingers traced up her thigh to spread her legs wider apart and she gasped. Bickslow looked down at her, expression hard to read under his mask but the smirk told her he was mostly amused by the reaction he had given her. His mouth met hers again, effectively silencing her as he pulled at his belt, dropping it to the floor with his wrap before tugging down his trousers to rub his cock up against her. Her breath hitched, and his tongue probed at the inside of her mouth as he entered her.

Suddenly she was more than a little glad that he had decided to kiss her, as she heard a muffled moan escape from her own mouth as he matched it with one of his. Her legs wrapped around his hips as he started to move, his hands supporting them for her as he found the rhythm he wanted. Bickslow's mask bumped repeatedly against her head but she didn't care. His kiss was hot and wet as Lisanna concentrated on remaining as silent as possible, a challenge she lost as soon as he put pressure on her shoulders with his, bending at the waist so she lay back onto the crate with him on top of her. He started to pull away but she bit onto his lip, keeping her mouth connected with his as she started to scream through her first orgasm. The kiss muffled the noise, and she heard him chuckle before he stood himself up again, leaving her lying on the crate, the cold air suddenly assaulting the front of her body. His left hand covered her mouth, allowing her to bite into his palm when she started to moan again and making sure he could shut her up just a little. Lisanna could see his eyes shining through the slits in his mask, covering them both in an eerie green glow. He grunted as her legs tightened around his waist, shooting pleasure through his own body. He wasn't going to last much longer, but that was kind of the point. They probably didn't have too much longer in private, anyway. He fell on top of Lisanna as he felt himself reach the point where he couldn't hold back any longer and buried his face in her breasts to muffle the way he groaned her name. Lisanna gasped at the sudden cold metal on her skin, before meeting his climax with her own as she squeezed his hips tightly with her thighs. She couldn't help but grin as she added the number up to twelve.

* * *

Mira sighed as she walked back into the kitchen, trying to find Lisanna to resume their conversation from before they were so rudely interrupted. She looked around, not immediately seeing Lisanna so deciding to call out instead.

"Lis? Did you finish the cake?"

She was met with silence, and she was unsure whether Lisanna was still ignoring her or if she wasn't in the room anymore. She noticed the finished cake on the counter, picking it up and placing it in the fridge for when Erza inevitably came to the guild. She checked around the kitchen from her new vantage point, before realising that it was very unlikely that Lisanna had resorted to hiding in cupboards just yet.

She checked in some of the walk in pantries, walking out into the bar to check around to see if she was in there. She was just about to turn to walk back into the kitchen when she heard high pitched squeal and noticed two of Bickslow's totems flying past. She blanked it for a second, before noticing that one of them was the totem that had been shadowing Lisanna earlier. Oh no. Her hand shot out and she grabbed the doll, who simply shrieked in excitement. Mira looked the doll in the face, smiling like she would if it was a small child.

"Hello! Do you know where your Papa is?"

The totem giggled as it started to spin on the top of Mira's hand. She hadn't been told _not_ to tell Mira where Bickslow had gone…

"Papa! Papa Lissy!"

Mira let the totem fly off to play with the other, before turning around and going back into the kitchen. They couldn't have, could they?

"Oh, fucking hell."

She thought through where they could have been. Upstairs in one of the offices? No, she would have heard them walk past when she was lighting the fire for Freed. In all honesty, she would have heard them if they had come out of the kitchen into the front of the guild. Which meant they could only have gone back into the storage areas in the back of the guild. Heading out of the back entrance to the kitchen, she really fucking hoped that she was wrong.

She strained her hearing and couldn't hear anything, which was good. At least they weren't actually fucking. She opened a few of the pantries, feeling better about her luck as she went. The further into the guild she went, the less and less likely it was that they had come this far back even if they were messing around. When she came to the last door she was checking it more out of habit than legitimately thinking she was going to find them there.

As soon as the door was opened she could see Bickslow bent over a crate, completely shirtless with a pair of naked legs wrapped around his thighs. He wasn't moving his hips which was good, at least they weren't actually having sex. The thought was of little comfort to Mira, who felt the anger rise up inside of her and had to fight down the demon who was threatening to break free. The door slammed against the wall beside her, causing the man to stand up quickly and the girl underneath him to scream.

"Lisanna!"

Bickslow pulled his trousers back up over his hips to cover himself up as Lisanna floundered to grab his cape to hold over her front, not worrying about the fact that it was still soaking wet from where Freed had wrung his wet shirt out earlier.

"What the fuck are you…"

Mira's voice trailed off as Bickslow turned around. He was a lot more muscular than he looked with his ridiculous clothes on, and it distracted her for a moment. Maybe she could understand why Lisanna was insistent that he was attractive. Maybe. He must have noticed her hesitation as a grin spread across his face, tongue lolling out as it did.

"Don't worry, Mira. I have that effect on most women."

She was shocked out of her thoughts by the man's words, and the anger kicked in again.

"What the fuck are you doing in here?"

Bickslow grinned again, hopping up onto the crate next to Lisanna and wrapping his arm around her. Lisanna just sat, looking between him and her sister and trying to work out just what was going to happen as she clutched his cape closer to her.

"Mostly Lisanna."

Mira took a few deep breaths, not for Bickslow's sake but instead realising how upset Lisanna would be if she killed him.

"In the guild?"

Bickslow tightened his arm, pulling her slightly in front of him in a hug that Mira suspected was also a human shield as his hand snuck under his cape and Mira growled at him, receiving a smirk in response along with a steadfast refusal to remove his hand.

"Well, at least we weren't in the kitchen. Fan of Freed's magic are we, Mira?"

Mira growled, taking a step towards the couple. Bickslow was obviously underestimating just how accurate she could be. He paled, grabbed the side of Lisanna's head to kiss her on the cheek before jumping off the crate and sprinting towards the door, shrieking as he went. Mira reached an arm out behind her, grabbing a hold of the door and slamming it shut. Bickslow was still laughing over his shoulder, looking at Lisanna as he ran, and didn't notice it was closed until it was too late. He ran head first into the door, head bouncing off it as he sprawled out on the floor. Mira nudged him with her foot, noticing that he didn't move and figured out that he had passed out. Mira turned around to where Lisanna was still sat on the crate, cape wrapped around her as the older girl noticed the deep blush covering her skin down to her neck.

"Lisanna, I've seen it all before."

Lisanna just clutched the cape tighter to her, refusing to look her older sister in the eye even a little.

"There's nothing I can say to get you to talk to me right now, is there?"

Lisanna shook her head, staring down at the floor as Mira sighed and turned to leave.

"Get dressed before the guild gets too busy. We'll talk about this later."

* * *

Lisanna buried her head in her hands as her sister left, closing the door behind her. Dropping the cape onto the crate behind her she started to get dressed, calling to Bickslow over her shoulder.

"Get up, Bickslow. You have a literal knight's helmet over your face, you're fine."

She heard him jump to his feet, and within moments he was hugging her from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her tightly into him.

"I know, but she doesn't know that and I think my superb acting saved me from certain death."

He kissed the join between her neck and shoulder again, fuck it was quickly becoming his favourite place, before pulling away to get dressed.

"Come on. We can pick this up later."


	27. Chapter 27

Lisanna sighed as she wiped down the bar, again. The guild hall had started to fill up and she had happily taken her place behind the bar as Mira ran around cooking. At least here she could pretend to be talking to customers and not have to speak to her sister.

She stole another glance at Bickslow and was once again thankful he had positioned himself facing away from her. She was getting distracted enough as it was, watching his shoulders and the animated way his arms moved as he engaged in deep conversation with Freed. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but the rune mage looked incredibly bored at whatever the Sieth was saying.

"'Sup, Lisanna."

She was pulled out of her thoughts by a familiar voice and turned around to see Natsu leaning on the bar, the usual cheesy smile plastered across his face. Lisanna smiled back, taking a break from her cleaning in order to stand and talk to him. She should probably tell him about Bickslow, but there was something in her brain holding her back. She had gotten over her crush on Natsu twice, once when she was taken to Edolas and a few months after she came back when she realised that he had gotten over her. But he was still one of her best friends, he should be one of the first people she told about her new relationship.

"Hey, Natsu! Listen, there's something I have to…"

A look of confusion crossed over the Dragon Slayer's face, and he leant closer to her. She looked down at him until he started audibly sniffing at her shoulder and she pulled away from him.

"What are you do…"

Natsu sighed, sitting back down on the bar stool heavily. He kept sniffing, looking around Lisanna to try and work something out.

"Are you wearing Bickslow's clothes?"

Lisanna felt herself starting to blush. Could Natsu smell what she had been doing with Bickslow?

"What are you on about, Natsu?"

The Dragon Slayer's face twisted in confusion again, and he reached out to grab Lisanna and pull her closer. She squealed in shock as he buried his nose in her neck, and stood perfectly still.

"No… that's not it. You smell like Bickslow. Why do you smell like Bickslow?"

Lisanna swallowed heavily. All of her bravado she had possessed around telling Natsu that her and Bickslow were dating earlier had gone entirely, and she looked around to find something to distract him. She could send him to Bickslow? No… that would turn out badly for everyone. Her eyes scanned the guildhall, and she could see Levy and Gajeel sitting on the other side of the guild. If Natsu could smell if something had been going on… Sending a mental apology to the script mage she grabbed Natsu's hair, pulling his face away from her neck and speaking quickly.

"Hey, have you seen Gajeel is over there? I think he said something about wanting a fight…"

Natsu's face lifted before he spun around, heading towards Gajeel without another word. Lisanna sighed, collapsing down onto the bar and cursing herself that she hadn't been brave enough to do anything.

"He's an idiot, isn't he?"

Lisanna groaned, turning her head to the side to see a small blue exceed sat on the bar, happily munching on a fish he'd found from who knows where.

"Hey, Happy."

The exceed grinned, finishing his fish and pulling another out of seemingly nowhere.

"It's obvious you're in love with him."

Lisanna coughed, telling herself it was from the fumes from the cleaning chemicals on the bar rather than the question she was just asked. She wasn't in love with anyone!

"Who are you talking about, Happy?"

The exceed smirked, walking over to Lisanna and sitting down next to her.

"Bickslow. I was flying around earlier this morning and saw you walking arm and arm. You're in love!"

Lisanna stood up, rubbing her temples as she did. She was struggling to figure out her feelings enough as it was, without Happy sticking his nose in it.

"Love is a very strong word, Happy."

The exceed chewed for a moment, obviously contemplating what she said before he spoke.

"You know his babies? If you two get married does that mean I'd be their brother?"

Lisanna's mouth hung open in confusion, and she tried to put her words together before a shout ran out across the guild hall.

"Hey, Happy! Come on! Lucy's got us a job!"

The exceed took to the air, not even saying goodbye before he shot across the hall, leaving Lisanna in a daze of confusion as he did.

* * *

Lisanna sighed as she stood in the changing rooms of the bath in Fairy Hills. She folded her clothes up tightly and shoved it into one of the lockers, more from habit than anything else. No one was going to be stealing them from here, anyway. She was the last girl there, seeing as she offered to stay behind at home to wash up, and she was rushing in order to join the giggling she could hear from beyond the walls. Stepping out into the main baths she paused as everyone looked at her, wondering what they were looking at before Juvia started giggling.

"Does Bickslow even know the meaning of gentle?"

Lisanna looked down, remembering the map of bruises that were covering her skin slightly too late. She wondered whether to bother transforming so they were hidden, before deciding to save her magic power. Everyone had seen it now anyway. Cana giggled from her own seat in the baths as Lisanna stepped into the warm water, settling herself down next to the card mage.

"If you think that's bad, you should have seen Levy earlier!"

"Cana!"

The script mage squeaked, hiding under the water. Lisanna looked her over quickly and couldn't see a single mark. Maybe she needed to ask her for tips.

"Do _any_ of the men in Fairy Tail do things gently?"

Erza posed the question to everyone, and Lisanna looked around the baths. Cana had a couple of hand shaped bruises on her thighs and hips, she imagined that must happen if someone had all their magic in their hands like Bacchus did. Erza had a few across her chest, and even Juvia had a couple on her shoulders. It was only Levy and Mira who were mark free, and judging by what Cana had said earlier that was only due to magical means. She wondered if Mira's skin was completely clean, or whether she was just using her magic to cover them over. She didn't need to wonder for long, as Mira crossed her arms under the water.

"Well, Freed is the perfect gentlemen both in and out of the bedroom."

"That means they have a boring sex life."

Lisanna couldn't help but giggle at Cana's words, which she had assumed the card mage had meant to whisper in her ear but was obvious the whole bath heard. She couldn't laugh for long, though, as Cana wrapped one arm around her shoulder.

"You know who I bet isn't boring in the bedroom?"

Lisanna felt the blush form over her cheeks almost instantaneously, knowing what was coming next. She had escaped fairly lightly back at the house, but apparently, Cana had remembered her relationship now.

"What about Bickslow, huh? Is his tongue as fun as it looks?"

Lisanna sank lower in the water, feeling gills automatically grow on her neck as it was submerged.

"What about his mask, eh? Does he keep it on in bed?"

Lisanna slipped further down until only her eyes were poking above the water, noticing everyone looking at her in morbid curiosity. Huh. So this is what it felt like to be Levy earlier.

"I bet he's into some kinky stuff, isn't he Lisanna? He certainly looks like he is."

Lisanna exhaled, watching the air bubble out of her mouth. What would Bickslow do in this situation, if someone were asking him about it? The answer came to her quickly and she smirked as she sat up straight again. Pulling her hands out of the water, she counted off her responses on her fingers.

"Firstly, no. His tongue is more talented than you could ever imagine. Secondly, he does wear it occasionally if he can't put his magic blocking cuffs on. I kinda like it, just not all the time. And lastly, the best way to answer that one is that he wanted to fuck me on the Cathedral roof last night."

Cana started to clap at the responses she had given but was interrupted by Mira covering her ears over quickly. Lisanna didn't know whether to be happy or sad. Happy that she had annoyed her sister, or sad that now she had probably made the inevitable talk from her sister even worse. Cana saw a different opportunity, though, and half ran half swam over to where the other takeover mage was sitting.

"Come on then, Mira. Tell me. Does Freed do anything creative with his magic, if you get my drift?"

Mira blushed but sat up straight herself. Lisanna was sure it was revenge for having to hear about her and Bickslow.

"Let me just tell you that Freed doesn't even need to touch me to turn me into jelly."

The response was met with whoops and whistles, as the girls set about finding out all the secrets of the Strauss sisters.

* * *

One floor above the baths the remaining Strauss sibling groaned in annoyance. Not even the almost naked woman sat astride him could distract him from what he was hearing downstairs. Not that she was helping any.

"As much as it pains me to know what my two teammates are up to, it is amusing to see you suffer."

Elfman was half way through protesting when she ground down onto him and his words were interrupted by the moan which escaped from his throat without permission. He moved his hands up onto Evergreen's hips, playing slightly with the lace he found there.

"Ever… this is weird when my sisters are literally right downstairs."

The woman fell forward heavily, breasts pressing against his chest as she placed a kiss against the guild emblem on his neck.

"You do realise that last night Freed and Mira were probably fucking in the room next to us and we didn't know?"

Elfman growled, rolling over to pin Evergreen underneath him. She giggled as her back hit the bed, and the frame creaked underneath their combined weights. It was something she only did when the both of them were alone, and he usually loved it. Not now, however.

"Shut up, Ever."

He could hear her about to protest before he attacked her guildmark back, and her words choked her throat.

"I guess I'll just have to drown them out with your screams, hm?"

* * *

 **A/N - If you're asking why the fuck they suddenly appeared in the guild baths, they head over there after an emergency girls meeting for Levy that was written in Iron and Paper. I didn't fancy writing that whole scene again, so I just skipped to them being in the baths. I'm sorry!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Another time skip I'm afraid. For those who haven't read Iron and Paper, the first half of this game is in chapter 20 and 21. I suggest going to read it before reading this.**

* * *

Laxus slammed his fists down on the table, sneering around the other members of the guild. They were all in various states of undress, but that didn't bother him.

"I have never had sex in the shower"

He tried to ignore the looks of confusion as everyone drank. Oh. This was not going to be good for him.

Bickslow wrapped an arm around Mira's waist to steady her as he leant forward, grabbing another shot from the table. She jumped not only from the almost intimate nature of it but also from the voice that rumbled in her ear.

"Excuse me, my dearest Mirajane"

As he threw the alcohol down his throat she looked sideways at Lisanna, watching her mirror the motion perfectly. She groaned, rubbing her temples with her forefingers as she spoke.

"Please tell me that wasn't my shower"

Freed echoed her words almost exactly, and Bickslow and Lisanna looked at each other for a second before bursting out laughing. Lisanna was the first one to recover, wiping a tear from her eye as she leant back onto Freed. The Rune Mage tried to move back before being blocked by the back of the chair, and let his hands hang awkwardly either side of him. Lisanna took a deep breath, turning her head so she could see Freed more easily.

"One of you is going to be severely disappointed."

Bickslow finally recovered, grinning widely and letting his tongue loll out.

"Or both of you. You never know."

Mira and Freed sighed in tandem. It had only been a few days and they already knew that this new relationship that had developed was going to be an uphill struggle. They stared at each other, discussing without words as to whether they would need to set up rules in their houses now before they were interrupted by Bacchus shouting down the table.

"How the fuck have you not have sex in a shower?"

Laxus sat back in his chair, crossing his arms across his chest defensively. He sneered at the drunkard, looking him up and down before he spoke.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because I'm a lightning mage and the last time I checked water and electricity don't fucking mix."

Bacchus stared back at him, trying to think of something to come back with before Cana slammed her drink down on the table and spoke.

"I've never seen this before. D'ya think he should take a penalty because everyone drank?"

Laxus sighed as everyone shouted yes at him, and Cana pondered what she should give him as a penalty. It would be her decision, of course. It was her game after all. He was already stripped down to his boxers, so she couldn't do anything there, and he could handle his liquor far too well for her to do much with alcohol. He tapped the side of her chin for a moment, before jumping up in excitement.

"Freed has to use one of his 'special' Dark Ecritures on you."

A roar of laughter spread around the table, stopping abruptly with Freed as a deep blush started to spread across his face.

"Cana! Why am I being punished? I literally haven't done anything!"

The rune mage was leaning forward, not even caring now that he was hitting into Lisanna's back. Lisanna was giggling as Freed put his hands on the table either side of her, and didn't even notice the look of mild annoyance on Bickslow's face. Laxus relaxed back in his chair, waving Freed's apprehension away.

"Shut up, Freed. How bad can it be, anyway?"

A low chuckle escaped Mira's throat, and the first waves of apprehension washed over Laxus. She had been on the receiving end of his ecritures, she knew first hand what they were like. If she was finding this funny it must have been worse than he anticipated. Laxus was just about to open his mouth to try and backpedal when Freed's arm moved faster than he thought possible, his right eye darkening as the magic flew from his hand.

"Dark Ecriture: Pleasure"

Laxus didn't feel anything to start with, and was going to make a joke about Mira being a little pussy before it hit. Waves of pleasure shot through every nerve in his body and he involuntarily tensed every muscle in his body. His back arched and his cock got painfully hard as an embarrassingly erotic moan of pleasure escaped his lips and echoed throughout the room. He barely even noticed when he lost control of his lightning, the electricity arcing through the air to the nearest metal object. Bickslow cursed as the electricity hit his mask and shot through his entire body, transferring into Mira where she sat on his lap as she screamed in a mixture of surprise and pain. Laxus' muscles spasmed a few times, until they relaxed finally and he almost melted into the chair below him. Bickslow was rubbing the skin underneath his mask, sure that where they met he was going to get a nasty burn.

"You motherfucker, Laxus! That fucking hurt!"

Mira glared at the Dragon Slayer, arms crossed over her chest in annoyance.

"Yeah, Laxus. That was unnecessary."

Laxus huffed, closing his eyes and stretching out his muscles, thanking every God available that he hadn't actually orgasmed in his pants. His body still tingled in a way that was worryingly stimulating, and he needed to get his mind off it. And he knew exactly how to do it.

"Mira, be a dear and stand up for me sweetheart."

The takeover mage looked confused for a second but was more than happy for the brief break in sitting on Bickslow's lap. As soon as she was clear Laxus lifted his arm lazily, pointing at the Sieth, before sending a bolt of lightning straight at him. Bickslow cursed again as his body convulsed before Laxus had had enough amusement and let him go.

"You're the closest metal, dickhead. Not my fault I lost control."

Bickslow just flipped the bird at his leader, before grabbing hold of Mira's hips and pulling her back down onto his lap as at least a modicum of protection.

"And Mira, with our history you should have known that was gonna happen."

Mira pouted for a second, before realising everyone at the table probably already knew they had slept together.

"I was sat on Bickslow's lap, what the fuck was I supposed to do?"

Laxus shrugged, managing to pull himself together if only just a little.

"I dunno, braced yourself?"

Mira crossed her arms and looked pointedly at the blonde.

"You know, I was going to say like you should have braced yourself for the Ecriture that 'can't be that bad', but I think we both know there's not really much bracing for that."

Lisanna threw her hands over her ears, shaking her head as she did.

"Please… please stop talking about what Freed does to you. I really _really_ don't want to know."

Mira was going to point out the irony of Lisanna saying that the day she had walked in on her and Bickslow in the back room, but her younger sister appeared to not actually be too pissed off with her and she really didn't want to rock the boat. Instead she looked at Freed, silently telling him to take his turn.

* * *

Freed tapped his chin as he contemplated his next move, trying to ignore the way Lisanna was squirming on his lap and the multitude of obvious bruises that Bickslow had apparently left on her back over the last few days. He wondered what position they must have been in for him to leave some of them before he shook his head and tried to focus his mind on the task at hand. There wasn't anyone he particularly wanted to get, so he decided to choose the first thing that came to mind.

"I have never passed out drunk."

Cana, Mira, Lisanna and Bacchus all threw their shots down their throat. Freed looked pointedly at Bickslow, who simply stared right back at him. He sighed heavily, debating whether this was worth the argument.

"Bickslow. You passed out drunk last week. I had to try and carry you back home."

Freed had been around the Sieth long enough to know that he had levelled a glare at him. He reached up a hand, miming sliding an object into his mouth while pushing his tongue into the opposite cheek. Freed sighed heavily as he caught the lewd suggestion, rolling his eyes at him. Two could play at that game.

"You know what Bickslow, I did always think you'd be good at that. Something to do with the tongue."

Bickslow grinned, letting the aforementioned tongue show as his eyes flashed with green magic behind his mask.

"Well, Freed. Keep up the jokes like that and you might experience that tonight."

Freed's mouth opened and closed as he tried to come up with his response, but Bickslow just grabbed his shot and drank it while keeping the most eye contact with Freed as he could. Freed just shook his head, ignoring his teammate and turning around to continue with his turn.

"Okay then. Truth or Dare?"

Laxus, Gajeel and Levy all looked at each other, before all selecting dare. Gajeel and Laxus were both too afraid of being called weak by the other, and the alcohol Levy had consumed gave her much more confidence than she usually had. Freed grinned, the darkness inside of him starting to shine through.

"How about we find out once and for all who's the strongest Dragon Slayer here? Laxus, Gajeel. You need to arm wrestle. No magic, and believe me I will know."

The two Dragon Slayers stared at each other, each leering as they did. Cana stood up, dragging a smaller table over along with two chairs and indicating for the Dragon Slayers to take their positions as everyone stood and crowded around the battleground to watch. They maintained eye contact as they did, each raising their arm up to rest their elbows on the table. The plan failed as Laxus placed down his left arm, while Gajeel raised his right.

"I'm left-handed, metal brains. We're playing with our left hands."

Gajeel sneered, shaking his head and refusing to move.

"Just cause you're weird doesn't mean I should be disadvantaged. Right hands."

Both slayers growled before Cana pulled a jewel out of her pocket and flipped it. Each Slayer called their guesses before Laxus swore when she revealed the outcome and switched his arms. Gajeel's grin widened, and he clasped the blonde's hand tightly as he prepared to fight. Cana counted down from three, and as soon as she yelled go both Dragon Slayer's put all of their effort into their arms.

In all fairness it was a pretty even game, and Gajeel was glad he had been given the advantage. If he had been forced to play with his left hand he knew he wouldn't have stood a chance. Laxus was much bigger than him, and when it came to raw power he was definitely below him. Their fists refused to move more than an inch either way, and after a while the audience started to get bored. Cana sighed, moving over to stand between them and slowly starting to remove her shirt. Laxus tried desperately to keep staring Gajeel in the eye, but with the addition of Freed's spell earlier he couldn't resist. His head turned to the side as Cana unbuttoned her trousers, and as she slowly slid them off her hips Gajeel took his opportunity and used the very last of his strength all in one go to slam Laxus' hand down on the table.

Laxus cursed loudly as the back of his hand hit the wood, and he threw himself back in his chair. Not only did he lose, he had become painfully aware that he was the only person in this room not getting laid tonight. Throwing his chair backwards so it clattered across the floor he headed back to the table and waited for the others to join him.

Freed started to sulk at the loss of his leader, before realising that he had many disadvantages which meant on an even keel he wouldn't have had a chance. And now he had a perfect opportunity to get them back. He sat down on his chair, sitting back to allow Lisanna to perch on his lap again as he turned his head to look at Levy.

"So, Levy. You beat me earlier, but now I propose a battle of wits. We take in turns to insult each other, in a different language each time. Whoever can't come up with an insult within three seconds loses. We go until someone fails."

Levy stared at the rune mage, scrambling through the languages she knew she knew and ones that she suspected Freed knew. She _thought_ she knew more, but her brain wasn't in top working order due to all of the alcohol she had consumed. Taking a deep breath she nodded, preparing herself for the challenge. Freed indicated for her to go first, and she said the first thing that came into her head.

"Tu es completement débile"

Freed smirked at the almost childish insult, crossing his arms in front of him as he did.

"Tatica."

Levy groaned, shaking her head at the predictable name although Freed had to be pretty drunk in order to insult her that way. He usually wasn't that offensive to her.

"Really original, Freed. Like I haven't heard that before. Du hast eine kleine teil."

Levy crossed her arms over at her insult, however, was distracted by Mira whispering to her right.

"Falsch."

Levy looked over at the takeover mage, not quite believing what she had heard. She heard Freed speak his insult, but she was too busy trying to figure out whether Mira had responded to take it in.

"Did you understand what I said, Mira?"

The older girl smirked, looking at Levy as she did. She started to lean back to make her point, before remembering she was on Bickslow's lap and deciding against it.

"Of course I did. I spend quiet a lot of time with Freed, I'd have to be an idiot if I didn't pick something up."

"Hey!"

Bickslow tugged Mira back so she topped onto the front of his chest, pouting at the implied insult as he did. Levy turned back to Freed, the rune mage smirking back at her.

"That's been over three seconds, Levy. I win."

Levy started to protest before Gajeel rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand and whispered in her ear.

"You know you would have thrashed him if he played fair. But Freed is Freed. He plays by his own rules."

Levy puffed out her cheeks but ultimately decided not to argue. She wasn't really sure her mental capacity was up for it right now, anyway.

* * *

 **A/N - This is early cause I am at a comicon all weekend (super hype).**

 **The insults are as follows - "Tu es completement debile" - You're a complete moron  
**

 **"Tatica" - a woman with small breasts  
"Du hast eine kleine teil" - You have a small dick  
"Falsch" - Wrong**

 **I am not fluent in any of these languages, so there is a high chance that they are wrong. I apologise to any native speakers in advance!  
**


	29. Chapter 29

Mira was trying to see how far away from Bickslow she could get without being too obvious, but the Sieth had casually wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and she could feel his chest pressed into her shoulder blades. She looked over at Freed for help, but he simply shrugged. He knew that he had no chance of getting Bickslow to stop, even if the both of them were sober. The takeover mage sighed, thinking through what she could say as her next turn.

"I have never read Erotica"

She watched as Lisanna, Levy, Freed and Gajeel all drank, grinning that she had so many people to mess with now. Her head dipped slightly as Bickslow rested his chin on top of it, and her grin disappeared.

"Oi. Lisanna."

Her sister looked up at the man, cocking her head questioningly to try and figure out what he wanted.

"So you can't see it right now, but I'm totally cocking an eyebrow at you."

Lisanna stuck her tongue out at the Sieth, and he returned the gesture back to her. She grabbed her glass of wine, taking a sip as she relaxed back on Freed's lap, not noticing the speed that Bickslow's tongue disappeared back into his mouth.

"I didn't always have you, Bickslow. Plus, Levy showed me some things."

"Is everyone completely ignoring the fact that Metalface just admitted to reading porn?"

Laxus' voice was filled with mirth, his embarrassment at losing the arm wrestle earlier apparently gone. Gajeel just took a drink from his beer, not at all bothered by what Laxus was insinuating.

"It's a perfectly legitimate way to consume porn."

Laxus scoffed at him, crossing his arms over his chest as he kicked his feet up onto the table.

"To be honest, Rusty. I'm just surprised you can read."

Gajeel sat up in his chair, his Dragon rising up to the competition that he was being issued. Levy wobbled as she adjusted, and he wound an arm around her waist to steady her. Maybe the alcohol was starting to affect her.

"I can read in more languages than you, Sparky."

Laxus sneered over at the other Dragon Slayer, flicking a thumb towards Freed to make the other man look towards the head of his bodyguard corps.

"I don't care, that's what I have Freed for."

Freed coughed, trying to look at his leader around Lisanna and ultimately failing as Bickslow's cape blocked his vision.

"If we're doing this by association, Laxus, I'm afraid that Levy knows more languages than I do."

Laxus sighed, visibly deflating as he realised that his one chance at winning was going rapidly downhill. He finally made eye contact with the Rune Mage, something that rarely happened within the Thunder Legion due to the nature of the magic that was floating about. If Laxus was making eye contact, then he was being serious. Freed steeled himself for a scolding, sitting up straighter out of habit.

"See, Freed. This is why I don't fuck you."

Freed's mouth hung open at the words, and he was about to protest before he was cut off by Bickslow laughing obnoxiously loud. His shrieking laughter wracked his body, to the point where he slipped off the side of the chair, pulling Mira down with him. The takeover mage squealed as she tumbled through the air, landing on top of Bickslow heavily and wriggling to try and escape. The Sieth clasped onto her tighter, not letting her get free until he had finished laughing. Taking a few deep breaths to compose himself he stood up, dragging Mira back up onto his chair with him before looking at the takeover mage and shaking his head.

"Come on, Mira. It's your turn. You need to give them all dares, or did you forget the aim of the game?"

Mira levelled a death glare at him, but because she was unable to see his eyes she wasn't sure how effective it was. She thought for a second about what punishment she could give to everyone she had been caught by her question, including the man that she had been sat on. Actually, that could work…

"Everyone who hasn't has to let their other half do their hair."

Wriggling out of Bickslow's grasp she disappeared out of the back of the guildhall and grabbed a box of hairdressing supplies that they kept around for when she did performances in the evenings. Dropping it on the table Laxus grinned at her, and she groaned at just how smug he looked.

"What about me, Mira? I'm not tied down. Does that mean I get out of it?"

Mira matched his smug expression exactly, smirking right back at him.

"Well, Laxus. I'm doing yours. Now, sit back."

Grabbing some hair bands out of the box she sauntered to stand behind the Dragon Slayer as he hoped that Mira was going to treat him well. He was almost absolutely sure that she wouldn't. Putting five of the bands in her mouth she separated his hair into six partitions and started to pull them up into pigtails. Laxus groaned, trying to push his head back to stop her but she simply tugged on his hair slightly harder than necessary and he gave up, settling for just pouting. Bickslow was left in hysterics, but a well-aimed shock to his head quickly shut him up.

Bacchus and Cana both looked at each other, wondering what the other would do. Taking a few steps over to her boyfriend, Cana reached up to play with his hair. Grabbing the band that held his bun in place she pulled it up and over the bun, pulling the cloth off after it to allow Bacchus' hair to fall down to his shoulders.

Laxus sneered over at the drunken mage and spoke with pure derision.

"Awww, your hair is so fluffy! You're so pretty."

Bacchus was too drunk to even realise the irony of Laxus teasing him about his hair at this moment in time, and he spun Cana around so her back faced him as he retorted straight back.

"Shut the fuck up, you sparky bitch."

Laxus cocked a brow at him as he looked over the table at the black haired man.

"Oh? Remind me how Quattro Puppy did in the Grand Magic Games?"

Gajeel didn't know what made him grin more, the instantaneous comeback, or the look of annoyance that crossed Bacchus' face. He leant back in his chair, pulling Levy closer towards him as he did.

"Oh, have you not heard, Bacchus? Laxus is also a snarky bitch."

Bacchus huffed, grabbing the hair band and cloth from Cana and starting to run his fingers through her hair. Neither of them had ever been particularly possessive, but something about being in this room was making him want to claim her as his. If he wasn't as drunk and bothered to look into it he might have realised it was something to do with the amount of testosterone currently flooding the room. Making sure not to pull her hair too painfully he twisted it around almost expertly, despite the fact the hair was longer and at a different angle than he was used to. It was a tight squeeze to get all of her hair into the cloth that usually only had to hold his, but he managed it before guiding her down to sit on his lap. She yawned slightly, leaning back onto him and he knew she wouldn't be staying awake much longer.

Lisanna stood up from Freed's lap smoothly, walking over to Bickslow before realising that it was probably a bad idea to remove his mask while he was still this drunk. Thinking for a second she ran over to the table that Levy was sat at before, picking up her bright red glasses and walking over to Bickslow. Mira was still stood behind Laxus so it was easy to straddle his lap and stared into his mask.

"My eyes are closed."

She leant forward slowly, placing a chaste kiss against his lips before slowly removing his mask and replacing it with the glasses. When they were securely in place his eyes opened slowly, and Lisanna smiled when they remained solidly dark red. He smiled back, poking his tongue back slightly before he grabbed her hips and pulled her closer, making her squeal in surprise.

"So, Bickslow, what should I do to your hair?"

He smiled and was about to speak before Freed's voice rang through the bar.

"Well, you could hardly make it any worse, could y… ow!"

The Rune Mage yelped as a wooden doll flew into him full speed, and Bickslow flipped him the bird over Lisanna's shoulder. Mira was currently trying very hard not to look at the almost compromising position that her little sister was in, and tapped her chin to try and figure it out.

"It's a shame Lucy isn't here. Cancer could do some real improvements to it."

Mira squeaked as another totem hit into her stomach, but it was lighter and less likely to do any damage. Obviously, the totems liked Bickslow's hair more than anyone else in the room did, possibly with the exception of Lisanna.

"You could shave it all off if we could find a razor."

Gajeel's suggestion was met with a scowl from Bickslow as the Dragon Slayer caught a doll out of the air before it could slam into him.

"You can all fuck off about my hair. It's spectacular and you're all just jealous."

Lisanna thought for a second, wondering what she would like to do with it before she thought back to earlier in the day. Jumping off his lap she ran to the back of the guild, grabbing a bucket before filling it up with what she hoped was luke warm water and carrying it back out to the front of the guild. Bickslow still had his back turned to her, and by some miracle, the rest of the room managed to keep her approach quiet. She hauled the bucket of water up, trying not to stumble backwards with the weight before tipping it over his head.

His shriek echoed around the room as the water hit him, and he jumped up into the air. The room lit up from his eyes glowing green and he grabbed a hold of his glasses to make sure they stayed on. He spun around, regarding Lisanna as she shrank backwards, starting to regret her decision. He took three steps towards her, before grabbing a hold of her and holding her still. She squirmed away from the water he shook onto her, suddenly glad for the extra clothing she was wearing.

"That's not doing much, Bickslow. Your clothes are too good for that."

Bickslow smirked, tightening his arms around her as she tried to escape.

"Oh. Your head isn't protected."

Lisanna looked up in confusion before five buckets of water were tipped over the both of their heads. Lisanna screamed loudly at the sudden attack, these buckets were freezing cold and Lisanna realised he had moved the babies into some of the buckets that were outside and held her still until he could tip it over the both of them. His laughter rang out around the guildhall as she immediately started to strip out of his clothes, glad that it hadn't soaked down to her underwear as he tried to squeeze out of hers. Everyone else in the room was laughing along with Bickslow, and Lisanna shook her hair out as she escaped back to Freed in a huff.

Bickslow sat down on his chair, moving the babies back into their bodies and using them to push Mira back over to him. She protested slightly, but Bickslow leant forward to grab her and pull her back onto his lap. She started to squirm at how wet and cold he was before she realised just what that might be doing to his crotch and stayed stock still, but he didn't seem to be paying attention.

The Sieth was peering at his girlfriend through the hair that was curtaining his vision. He couldn't figure out what she was trying to do with her little stunt with the water.

"So… what was the point of that?"

Lisanna pushed her wet hair out of her eyes before Freed wrote a rune in the air to dry them both off. She thanked the man, before crossing her arms in front of her and staring at Bickslow.

"When we were in the bath earlier…"

"Too much information."

Lisanna held her middle finger up at Laxus, before continuing on with her sentence.

"I noticed that your hair flops down over the little shaved bits and I wondered what you would look like without them. So I wanted to do it again."

Everyone peered at the Sieth. Lisanna was right, with his hair wet it covered where he had shaved it short and he looked like someone with normal, if not slightly floppy hair. Lisanna sighed, now she was slightly less angry she could see just how cute he looked. She smiled over at him, watching him stick his tongue out back at her.

"You're so adorable like that! You should have floppy hair and glasses all the time!"

Bickslow narrowed his eyes at her, knowing that she was teasing him.

"Woman, I will fucking end you."

The other Strauss sister growled from his lap, turning slightly so she could glare into his eyes.

"That is my sister that you are talking about."

Bickslow froze, looking panicked as he glanced towards his teammates with bright green eyes.

"Freed? Laxus? Help?"

Laxus smirked, purposefully looking away from the Sieth as he appeared to contemplate.

"Hmm… no. I think you're on your own there, buddy."

Mira growled, more to just scare the man underneath her than from any actual motive to murder him now.

"Gajeel? You could probably beat her now she's drunk and you're not."

Gajeel growled before Levy rubbed the back of his thumb and turned to Lisanna.

"Lisanna, you might want to shut Bickslow up before someone actually kills him."

Lisanna was still pouting, both from Bickslow's sneak attack and the way he was steadfastly refusing to admit he was cute.

"Nope, you know what? I'll sell him to the highest bidder."

Everyone looked at Bickslow, expecting him to be upset however a huge grin was spreading across his face as he looked genuinely excited at the prospect.

"We'll give you booze!"

Cana was fast asleep on Bacchus' lap, and the drunken mage kept amazingly quiet as he gave his offer. Lisanna nodded at the suggestion before turning her face slightly to get Levy's bid. The Script mage giggled slightly, obviously intoxicated and she slurred as she spoke.

"I will lend you all of the erotic novels you can ever want."

Lisanna hummed at the suggestion, looking over at Gajeel for his offer.

"Kitty, I thank ya for your offer but I would pay to _not_ have to put up with that freak anymore."

Lisanna shrugged, it was fair enough. She wasn't sure that she would pay for him right now, either. Moving through her sister, who offered that she wouldn't actually kill him, and Laxus who offered one night of pleasure with him, she turned around to Freed who simply smirked and leant forward to whisper in her ear.

"Pretend I just said something scandalous. Lean forward and say mine was far and away the best offer and that you're giving him to me. It will annoy him more than anything else I could offer."

Lisanna grinned, turning back around and doing exactly what Freed asked of her, trying to ignore the smirks from both of the Dragon Slayers.

"Well Freed, with an offer like that who could refuse?"

Bickslow's mouth hung open as he looked at them in utter confusion, stuttering slightly as he started to protest.

"What!? Lissy! What did he say!?"

Lisanna tapped the side of her nose, indicating to her boyfriend that she would never tell before Bacchus coughed as he wanted to take his turn.

* * *

 **A/N - Sorry this is another short one, I am working on a short one shot for a friend's birthday this week so it took a lot out of my writing time (slash cry) but look forward to that next week!**

 **Thank you so much for all of your lovely comments and reviews! They make me so happy!**


	30. Chapter 30

Bacchus pulled Cana closer to him, sitting as far back on his chair as he could in order to keep her stable on his lap. Placing a kiss against the top of her head he looked around at the assembled group in front of him before speaking.

"I have never had my hair shorter than my shoulders as an adult."

Levy leaned forward, picking up two shots and drinking one before she passed the other back to Gajeel. Gajeel drank it without questioning, before pausing before he put it back on the table.

"Erm, Levy. I've never had hair shorter than my shoulders since I've been an adult. I shouldn't have drank that."

Levy looked at him in confusion, before realising that she had got it wrong. Cana was asleep, so she couldn't ask her for clarification but she looked at Bacchus all the same. The drunken man shrugged, picking up a drink for himself over Cana before answering her.

"I don't fucking care. Why don't you all drink if you have? Who I have to play with doesn't make any difference to me."

A collective sigh went around the room, with Mira the only other person drinking and the others remaining staring at Bacchus in anticipation. He pointed at Freed with one finger, and the rune mage just straightened himself out in preparation for whatever he was going to say.

"You've had hair shorter than your shoulders?"

Lisanna turned around to look at the man she was sat on, she'd never seen Freed with short hair. It must have happened while she was in Edolas.

"Yes. I cut my hair short in repentance after we went against the guild."

Oh. So it was while she was in Edolas. She chuckled a little, wishing she could have seen it, before Bacchus shrugged and sat back in his chair.

"Alright. Truth or dare?"

Freed thought for a moment. The dares had been a lot worse than the truths so far, so it was probably best for him if he stuck with the latter. He informed Bacchus of his decision, and almost immediately regretted it.

"What's your darkest secret?"

Freed froze, along with Bickslow and Laxus. He could lie. Yeah. He'd have to lie. But what could he say that was dark enough to believe that it was his darkest secret, but not too bad that people would think too lowly of him? He was struggling for what to say when suddenly Bacchus screeched, jumping up in his chair while simultaneously managing to keep Cana asleep on his lap. Looking over the card mage he could see that one of the babies had tipped his drink over, and the liquid was now dripping all down his legs. Cursing to himself he stood up, balancing Cana in his arms while he went to find a bench to rest her on while he cleaned himself up. Mira jumped up as well, going to grab a cloth to rub down both his legs and then the floor where the liquor had hit it. Liquor was always hell to clean up if you left it for anything over ten minutes. Bickslow was looking sheepish, calling his babies over to him so they couldn't do anything else to cause havoc. Levy had been splashed by the liquor as it hit the floor, and Gajeel carried her out to the back of the guild to get her all washed off in the sink as Bacchus had the same idea and followed them.

It was a quarter of an hour later when everything had calmed down, and everyone had returned to their places, either on a chair or on someone else's lap, when Bacchus crossed one leg over the other and addressed the room again.

"Now… where was I?"

Laxus crossed his arms over his chest as he looked at the man at the other end of the table.

"You were just about to dare me."

Bacchus nodded his head, and before he spoke Freed looked over to Bickslow who was reclining back on his chair while Mira perched on his lap. The Rune mage had noticed what Bickslow had done, even drunk he wouldn't have lost that much control of his totems. Freed nodded, a tiny movement that Bickslow caught and returned, a moment's connection which no one else in the room noticed. Bickslow knew that Freed couldn't reveal what his darkest secret was, not here and not now, and his plan had worked.

"You have to make out with Bickslow."

The Sieth was pulled back into the moment with Bacchus' voice, and he stared between the two men either end of the table for a second before he grinned, gently pushing Mira off his lap as he stood. Laxus looked over at Bacchus, beginning to shake his head.

"Uh, no. Bickslow didn't choose a dare, you can't make him kiss me."

Bacchus looked up at where Bickslow was standing, and the Sieth just shrugged.

"I don't care, as long as it counts as my dare too."

Bacchus nodded, but Laxus still looked unsure. Bickslow pouted, looking down at his leader and crossing his arms over his chest.

"You know, Boss, this hurts. You kissed Freed no questions asked but when it comes to me you're all argumentative and shit."

Laxus sneered, looking up at the Sieth mage as he uncrossed his arms.

"Yes, but that's Freed. He's reasonably attractive. You, however. I genuinely think someone needs to be legally crazy in order to want to kiss you."

Lisanna grabbed Peppe out of the air next to her and threw him at the Lightning Dragon Slayer, but he dodged before it hit. Peppe squealed in excitement, flying back over to where Lisanna sat and landing on her head. Lisanna pouted, crossing her arms in front of her before sticking her tongue out at the older man.

"Hey! I take offence to that, Laxus!"

Bickslow took a few steps back, until he was standing behind Gajeel and Levy. The black haired man turned around, worried what the Sieth was planning before the taller man started to sprint towards Laxus.

"Maximum effort!"

He jumped at the last second, pushing the chair back when he landed on Laxus' lap, and the Dragon Slayer struggled to maintain his balance before he realised it was too late and the chair toppled over and Bickslow straddled him completely.

Bickslow attacked Laxus' lips with his, his tongue immediately entering the Dragon Slayer's mouth, making Laxus gag with just how long it was. Bickslow wound his hands in Laxus' hair, and the Dragon Slayer made do with resting his hands on the Sieth's shoulders. Cat calls and whistles filled the room, and Gajeel turned to Bacchus as the two men continued to kiss on the floor.

"You know that was totally unoriginal?"

Bacchus nodded, taking a sip from his liquor as he regarded the chaos he had caused.

"Eh, I never claimed to be creative. Plus, it was still fucking funny, right?"

Gajeel sighed, having to admit that it was. Finally, Bickslow pulled away, jumping to his feet and wiping his mouth as Laxus sat his chair upright again, finishing his pint of beer to try and get the taste of Bickslow out of his mouth.

"Fucking hell, Bickslow. You were more into that than Freed."

Bickslow winked at the man over his shoulder, sitting himself down on his own chair before pulling Mira back onto his lap.

"What can I say, Boss? I always give everything one hundred and ten percent."

Laxus sighed, rubbing his temples. This was almost getting too much for him. Bacchus grinned, looking over at Lisanna and waiting to give out his last punishment for this round. Lisanna stared between Bickslow and Laxus, suddenly scared at what Bacchus might make her do and chose truth.

Bacchus grinned. He knew one thing that was always fun when there was a couple around, especially if they were a new couple. Looking at Lisanna he smiled in what he hoped was an innocent fashion and asked his question.

"Who was your first kiss?"

Bickslow laughed out loud, not noticing Lisanna's blush as he stared the drunken man in the face.

"That's fucking boring. It was me, obviously."

Bacchus started to pout, but his plan soon came to fruition when Lisanna coughed, and the Sieth slowly turned his head to look at her.

"I'm sorry, Bickslow, but you weren't my first kiss. I kissed someone in Edolas."

Mira's eyes lit up, so excited to hear this new gossip that she didn't even notice Bickslow's fists clench either side of her thighs.

"What? Who was it? Was it someone we know?"

Lisanna squirmed on Freed's lap, suddenly hyper aware that everyone was staring at her. She rubbed her fingers slightly, not really wanting to admit it.

"... Laxus."

"WHAT!?"

Bickslow slammed his fists on the table either side of Mira, making the takeover mage jump in surprise. Lisanna looked over at him, narrowing her eyes at the reaction despite the amount of time he had spent with her sister on his lap that night alone.

"You've literally fucked hundreds of women, Bickslow. What I did wasn't that bad."

Bickslow leant forward, making Mira duck under his arm in order to escape and sit down in the chair next to him.

"But it was _Laxus_ "

Lisanna leant back, resting on Freed and making Bickslow clench his fists even tighter. The rest of the room was silent, not really knowing what to do while the couple argued.

"So? Would you be happier if it was Edolas you? Edolas Bickslow was terrifying, Edolas Laxus was sweet and a little shy…"

Bickslow slammed his fists down on the table, standing up as he did and turning to storm out of the guildhall. The remaining occupants stared at each other, Bickslow's totems making the only noise as they all growled, angry at something but really not sure what. Lisanna was breathing heavily, hands clenched into fists on her lap as Mira walked over to her, sweeping her up into a hug. The younger sister closed her eyes, trying to fight back tears and refusing to cry in front of anyone else.

Gajeel coughed, standing up with Levy and making their excuses as they left the hall. Bacchus realised the party was over not long after and went to pick up Cana, carrying her out of the front doors behind them. As soon as the two couples had gone Lisanna lost control of her tears, and started to sob. Burying her head in her sister's shoulder, the older girl patted her sister on the back of her head.

"Lisanna, I…"

"No." Lisanna sat up, rubbing her eyes with the base of her palms to wipe away the tears. "Don't say it, Mira. Don't say 'I told you so'."

Standing up, her transformation magic overcame her and before long Lisanna was wearing a long coat and a scarf wrapped around her neck against the wind outside.

"I'm going to go and find him before he catches his death of cold out there. Mira, Freed could you make sure the totems got back to the apartment?"

With that Lisanna ran out of the guildhall, leaving the three remaining mages to stare at each other. Mira crossed her arms, leaning back on the table behind her as she looked at the two men, clothes appearing over her body as she did.

"You're absolutely sure he's not going to break her heart?"

Freed looked away, starting to get himself dressed, but Laxus just stood up and started to head out towards the guildhall.

"He won't. Not intentionally, anyway. He's a complete fucking idiot and might do it accidentally but not on purpose."

He paused just as he was about to walk out the door, yelling back to Freed as he struggled into his trousers.

"I'll come get you for training tomorrow morning, Freed. Give me a call once you and Bicks get home safe."

* * *

Lisanna walked through the third park that night, rubbing her hands together as her breath clouded the air in front of her. Clothes that she transformed into were always colder than normal clothes, and she wished she had had the foresight to throw on Bickslow's cape no matter how wet it was. Her voice carried through the night air, all of the parks were empty and she hoped beyond hope that her instinct that that's where Bickslow would go was right.

She was walking under a tree, kicking at the dirt and the grass, wondering where he could have hidden and whether she should have brought Freed and Mira to help her out.

"Hey Kitten."

Lisanna screamed as Bickslow appeared out of nowhere, swinging upside down from the tree right in front of her. She switched to her cat soul out of pure instinct, and managed to pull back her paw in time to stop her from scratching at his face.

"Fucking hell, Bickslow! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Bickslow's hands fell, cupping her cheeks and pulling her towards him so he could look into her eyes. He was still wearing Levy's glasses and they fell dangerously low in his precarious position, but his eyes remained their own shade of deep red.

"So, Laxus eh? Care to tell me more about that?"

Lisanna puffed her cheeks out, but the slight glistening of tears in Bickslow's eyes along with the tracks where they had previously fallen down his cheeks stopped her. He was… actually upset about this. She took a deep breath, knowing that she wasn't going to be able to get him home before she told him the full story.

"It was on the two year anniversary of getting to Edolas, of my death, and the Raijinshuu had just arrived in the guild after a successful assassination. I had taken the evening off and was drinking myself to oblivion in the back of the guild when he found me and came to speak to me.

"He told me that he knew who I was, that I wasn't the 'real' Lisanna. Their Bickslow had told all of them. And he asked me, about home. So I told him. I told him about the guild, about how magic was abundant and we worked with the council, not against them. I told him Erza was a part of the guild, along with the Raijinshuu and he was one of the most powerful wizards we had. And he just sat and listened.

"You don't understand, Bickslow, he's the only person I could ever speak to about Earthland, about the family I left behind. And after I'd laughed, and cried, and laughed again he leant in and he kissed me. That's all it was, one little kiss. The next day the Raijinshuu left on another job, we moved locations and we never spoke about it again."

Bickslow stayed still and listened to her story, wiping away a sole tear when it escaped her eyes. When he spoke his voice was a whisper, barely audible above the wind blowing through the trees above them.

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

Lisanna tried to look away, but he held her face still so it was impossible. She sighed heavily, raising her hand to stroke through his hair where it fell towards the ground below him.

"It wasn't relevant. I didn't want to ruin the moment. Anyway, you have had so many women. You were flirting with my sister all night. Why are you that bothered about a kiss that I had when you thought I was dead?"

Bickslow sighed then, the tears still glistening in his eyes and making Lisanna want to sweep him into a hug.

"Because this is all so new, Lisanna. I've had so many women, but you're the first one I've ever loved. And… it hurt to think of you with someone else. I'm sorry. I'm still learning this, and if do it again you have every right to slap me and say I'm being a cunt."

Lisanna leant forward at his explanation, pressing a kiss against his lips to stop him from speaking. He immediately grabbed the back of her head, deepening the kiss as he did and steadying himself against her. The kiss was slow, not desperate like many of his kisses had been before and Lisanna felt herself start to melt. She gasped as he broke away for air, staring her in the eyes again as he smiled an awkward half smile.

"No more secrets, Lissy?"

Lisanna chuckled, tugging on his arms to indicate that _holy fuck he needed to come down and get inside_.

"No more secrets."

* * *

 **A/N - I can't believe this is now 30 chapters long. That's insane. I fall in love with this ship the more I write them and I don't think that's ever going to change!**

 **As always, I send all of the love to my wonderful Gajeelswoman and Kmmcm *less than three***


	31. Chapter 31

**This chapter gets a bit smutty again, but then again it is Soul Squared so you all already knew that, right?**

* * *

Getting Bickslow back to his apartment was an uphill struggle. He was sober enough to walk in a straight line, which was a blessing but also a huge part of the problem. Every time Lisanna seemed to get him on the path home he would sprint off in the opposite direction, hiding himself and forcing her to look for him before jumping out and trying to scare the everloving fuck out of her. Each time he disappeared into the night she swore to herself as to how she could lose him. How the fuck do you lose a six and a half foot tall tree with blue hair?

The fourth time he reappeared, jumping down from a precariously tall building to land practically on top of her she had had enough and grabbed his shoulders, pulling them down so she could whisper in his ear.

"If you come back home with me, right now, without running away and hiding every five minutes I will totally suck your dick."

Bickslow swallowed heavily, leaning down further to sweep her legs out from underneath her and picked her up in his arms. She screamed as he started to run, bouncing in his arms precariously as he started to laugh.

"Come on then Lissy, put your money where your mouth is. Or, you know, put my cock where your mouth is."

Lisanna blushed at his words, not quite sure what she had expected from him but it wasn't that. At least they'd be getting back to the apartment soon, and out of the cold. How Bickslow hadn't died from hypothermia yet she didn't know.

The babies were already fast asleep when they got back into the apartment, snoring softly across the sofa and the coffee table. Bickslow dropped Lisanna to the ground unceremoniously and started to head over to pick them up but she grabbed his arm and pulled him closer to her. When she spoke it was a low whisper, not wanting to wake any of the sleeping totems.

"Are you sure you want to bring them into the room just yet? It's just I thought we were…"

It took a moment for realisation to hit the Sieth, and he paused in his tracks before turning around and heading towards his room.

"Yup, Lissy, you're right. They can have a sleepover in the front room for a bit. I'll bring them into my room later."

Lisanna smiled as he grabbed her hand, dragging her through to his room. It was just as messy as they had left it earlier in the day, and he closed the door surprisingly quietly behind them. She had a feeling that it was so he didn't wake the babies, and nothing to do with Freed and her sister sleeping in the other room. Bickslow grinned, turning back around to her and grabbing her waist, pulling her against his still naked chest and dipping his mouth down to connect with hers. If she was sober she would probably be weirded out by the fact that Mira was _right there_ , but she had just enough alcohol clouding her judgement that she didn't care. The room was filled with a green glow as his magic shone through his eyelids, and Lisanna clenched her own eyes tighter. She knew how much it would freak him out if he accidentally took her over. She rested her hands on the top of his hips, toying with the waistband of his boxers before spinning them around so his calves hit the mattress pushing on his chest until his back hit the bed. Her aim was to push him down on his own, but Bickslow had other ideas. He clasped onto her waist tighter, pulling her down with him until she was sprawled across the top of his body, squealing into his mouth as she did. He chuckled quietly, trying not to wake up his totems in the other room before he reached over to the edge of his bed and picked up a mask that was discarded there.

Lisanna looked up when he patted her on the back of her shoulder, staring into his eyes through Levy's glasses before he slowly placed the mask over her face and tightened the straps so it didn't obstruct her too much. She looked at him as he removed the glasses from his own eyes, clenching them shut for a second before he opened them and looked at her with his normal dark red irises.

"You sure you don't want to put the cuffs on?"

Bickslow shook his head, cradling her cheeks in his hands before pulling her in to kiss her again. After a few moments, he mumbled into her mouth, not pulling his lips away from hers even an inch.

"You know what? You look fucking hot with my mask on. I thought it would be fun."

Lisanna blushed, unsure why that thought alone felt so much dirtier. She was just wearing his mask, after all, she shouldn't be that embarrassed. Rising up onto her elbows she began to kiss gently at his jaw, moving down to his neck to pull up a bruise on his skin there. He moaned quietly, moving his hands back down to her waist and pressing his fingertips into the fabric of her coat as she moved down his chest.

When she got to the top of his abs his hands had to leave her waist and he reached above his head to grab more pillows to prop his head up. He watched her head move further and further down, her fingers starting to play with the waistband of his boxers as she slipped them slowly over his hips and continued on down his thighs. He helped her kick them off his legs before she settled between his thighs and leant her head down.

Bickslow hissed as her tongue suddenly licked up his length, knowing that he couldn't be too loud or Freed was sure to wake up and come to bother him. He bit on the inside of his cheek as her mouth encompassed him entirely, and his hand moved from where it was clenching his pillow down to rest on her head. She didn't stop in her movement, both hands resting on his thighs as her tongue swirled around him and he arched his back in pleasure as he took a fistful of her hair and tugged it. Her mouth fell open as she pulled away and he cursed at the sudden lack of contact. Pulling his hand away from her hair again he cupped her cheek and ran a thumb across her bottom lip as it hung open.

"I'm sorry. That was a bit rough wasn't it?"

He regretted his decision to make her wear the helmet as he missed her eyes when she smiled up at him. But when she leant her head down again it shot pleasure straight up his spine as the cold metal of the mask hit his abs and he couldn't help but let out a low moan. He barely felt her hand move it's way across his thigh and wrap around the base of his cock before he cursed out loud as she used it in tandem with her mouth.

"Fuck, Lisanna, I…"

His words were stopped by her tongue flicking over the head of his cock and his hips bucked involuntarily upwards. She paused for a second, unsure whether she should continue, but his heavy breathing spurred her on and she started up on an even faster rhythm, until he grunted, grabbing onto her hair again as he climaxed.

Lisanna gagged slightly but swallowed everything down before she released his cock and took a few panting breaths. Bickslow cursed at his oversight, sitting up to grab onto her shoulders and pulling her up into his arms.

"Fuck, I'm sorry Kitten. I should have…"

Lisanna shook her head, pulling herself up the bed before going to kiss him on the cheek, but he pulled on her shoulders to topple her on top of him and smashed his lips into hers. He immediately deepened the kiss, grabbing onto her waist and digging his fingertips into her skin. She went to swing her left leg over his hips but he grabbed it, throwing her knee to the side and using the momentum to push her onto her back. She squeaked as her shoulders hit the bed, and he moved to rest in between her legs. Grabbing hold of the leather which made up the straps of his helmet he undid them quickly and pulled the mask off her face. He smiled as she opened her eyes without any hesitation.

"There we go, I can see your beautiful eyes again."

Lisanna blushed slightly as Bickslow threw the mask to the side, and started to reach for his cuffs before he grabbed her hands and stopped her.

"I am pretty much done for the night babe, but that doesn't mean I can't make you scream."

Lisanna squirmed in anticipation as he licked up her cheek before he pouted at her and tapped on her coat.

"Can you do the naked thing please?"

Lisanna giggled, but within seconds her magic encircled them both and she was completely naked. Bickslow let out a low whistle as he looked down at her, before nibbling at her earlobe.

"Nifty."

She giggled again but the noise died in her throat as he trailed his tongue down her neck to encircle her left nipple. She gasped as he bit down gently, the feel of his teeth scraping across her sensitive skin sending pleasure right between her legs. Bickslow shifted his weight onto his left elbow, allowing his right hand to grab onto her other breast roughly and start to massage it. Lisanna's back arched, and hips started to buck upwards into Bickslow's. The Sieth grinned as he pulled his hips away, biting at the side of her breast before chuckling into her flesh.

"Getting a little desperate are we, kitten?"

Lisanna groaned out loud, going to bat at Bickslow's head before he caught her hand and stopped her. He placed a sloppy kiss onto her palm and she moaned in frustration.

"Bickslow… please…"

The Sieth just chuckled, dropping Lisanna's hand back down on the bed before returning his attention to her breasts. Her hand moved to the back of his head, fingers combing through his hair before tugging at the strands roughly as she panted out his name. As soon as she tugged Bickslow pulled his head away again, rising up into his hands and ceasing all contact with her. Lisanna whined out his name, but he simply stuck out his tongue as he grinned.

"Patience, Lissy…"

Lisanna huffed, dropping both of her hands back down onto the bed and looking off to the side. Whatever her plan had been ignoring him was instantly ruined when he began to kiss down her stomach, heading between her legs. He paused, kissing her thighs for a second as she propped herself up on her elbows to look down at him.

"I promised I'll make you scream, didn't I?"

Lisanna clenched her teeth as his tongue flicked across her clitoris to stop herself screaming. As soon as Bickslow's fingers entered her she dropped her elbows down and her shoulders hit the bed again. Her legs raised to wrap around his head and rest her ankles on his back. His spare hand grabbed a hold of one of her hips, trying to keep them still as she bucked them up to meet his mouth. He kept his tongue and fingers in perfect rhythm, bringing her to the edge of orgasm before slowing down and leaving her high and dry, then starting all over again. Her thighs clenched his head almost painfully until in the end she was forced to grab a pillow and bite down in order to muffle her screams.

As soon as she was finished Bickslow gently pried her thighs apart, placing a kiss on her naval before standing up and stretching his arms over his head. His mouth fell open in a yawn, and Lisanna watched as he rummaged around in a chest of drawers that was nailed to the wall at the end of the bed and pulled out some pyjamas.

They were the same blue as his hair, long sleeved with baggy trousers and he threw them at her. She grabbed them out of the air before looking at him in confusion. He looked back down at her with one of his wicked grins, lolling his tongue out as he did.

"Well, unless you want all the babies seeing you naked."

Lisanna blushed, tugging the top over her head before shuffling into the trousers as the Sieth pulled on his boxers and left the room. Both were far too long for her and she had to ratchet in the ties at the waist to stop the trousers falling down, but after they were on she set about trying to clear at least some space on Bickslow's bed so they could both sleep on it comfortably.

* * *

Bickslow nearly started whistling as he made his way out into the front room to collect his babies. Of course, he could have woken them up to make them fly into his room but he knew they had had a pretty exhausting day and they deserved to have a rest. He was about to lean down and pick up Pippi before he heard a soft moan come from the room behind him, and a smirk spread across his face. Standing up straight again he headed towards the kitchen, reaching up to grab a bowl from the top cupboards before rummaging through the pantry for what he wanted.

* * *

Mira groaned softly again as Freed pinched both of her nipples roughly, before smothering her mouth with her palm when the rune mage narrowed his eyes at her. He had warned her to keep as quiet as she could, but he was certainly making it difficult for her. She kept moving in her rhythm, riding him slowly as she ground down onto his cock and watched him become slowly undone beneath her. She barely noticed when the door opened slowly, but definitely heard the voice that followed it.

"Sup, guys."

Mira looked to the right, seeing Bickslow leaning against the doorframe eating from a bowl of popcorn. She screamed, leaning forward to cover herself, expecting to hit Freed's chest but instead falling to the bed in a cloud of runes. Grabbing Freed's blanket to cover herself she glared at the Sieth, clenching her fists to try and keep her transformation magic down. The man cackled, dropping his bowl of popcorn to the floor as he held his sides.

"... did… did he just teleport out of here?"

Mira growled, baring her teeth at the man in the doorway.

"Fuck off, Bickslow."

The laughter didn't stop, as Bickslow had to lean backwards against the door to stop himself from falling over.

"He's just… somewhere in Magnolia… completely nake…"

His words were cut off by a ball of dark magic flying towards him, and he closed the door to protect himself before picking up his sleeping babies faster than he ever had before and running to get Lisanna's protection.

* * *

Lisanna narrowed her eyes at him as he entered the room, still giggling uncontrollably. She had pulled the thin blanket over herself and plumped up the frankly abysmal pillows and was curled up so she looked tiny on his bed.

"What did you do?"

Bickslow stuck out his tongue, arranging the babies neatly on the bed before crawling across to get under the blanket with her. Clambering over the top of her he slotted into the bed behind her, winding an arm around her waist before throwing a leg over hers.

"I heard some weird noises coming from their room so I went to check if they were okay."

Lisanna sighed heavily but shuffled back into his body so he held her closer. It was a few seconds later that her sister's voice came through the wall above their heads, and Lisanna couldn't help but chuckle.

"You just teleported away!"

"It's a gut instinct! And plus I ended up naked in the middle of Magnolia, so who got the worst end of the stick here?"

Lisanna was about to chastise Bickslow again, but before she could open her mouth she heard him snoring softly above her and realised he had already gone to sleep. Smiling softly to herself she relaxed into his embrace and followed him soon after.


	32. Chapter 32

Lisanna awoke to a white hot blast to her stomach, forcing her insides to broil and she gagged as the pain shot through her body. Forcing her eyes open she saw the babies whizzing around the room, shouting as they fired off bolts of energy randomly. Oh. So that was what had hit her stomach. Pulling her shirt up she could smell her own burning flesh and she nearly threw up. That wasn't good.

Bickslow's scream brought her out of her thoughts, and she suddenly realised what was happening. Night terrors. What had Evergreen told her to do? She wracked her sleep addled brain, before turning around and deciding to just wing it.

Bickslow was strewn out across the bed, sweating profusely as his legs were tangled in the blankets. Ducking a flailing arm she pulled him into her chest, resting his head against her breasts as she hummed softly. His hair tickled her chin and she remembered what Evergreen had said.

Within seconds Bickslow had clamped onto her, nails digging into her back and raking across her skin. She winced forward but allowed her fingers to play in his hair, trying to ignore the screams he made into her skin. He was crushing her so hard she was sure he'd break bones, but she kept her fingers moving. It would be over soon, wouldn't it?

The door flew open and suddenly Freed was in the room with her, shirtless and dishevelled and not looking like himself at all. With a wave of his hand the babies all fell, and he rushed to the bed while Lisanna's eyes begged him for help.

" _Close your eyes, get some sleep…_ "

Freed's song filled the room, as he started gathering the babies and placing them onto the bed near Bickslow. They were silent, and Lisanna wondered what he had done to them.

" _It's too late now, to change anything but it's alright. Get some sleep._ "

Freed clambered onto the bed with them, starting to rub circles onto Bickslow's back as the Sieth's breathing began to slow again.

" _It's so dark outside, so close your eyes and feel the world turn round_ "

Lisanna looked up at the rune mage as Bickslow's muscles relaxed and started to release her. She hissed as his nails left her flesh, somehow hurting more now than they had when they entered. Tears welled up from her eyes as her adrenaline dropped and the pain started to hit.

" _If you're not lost, I guess that makes you found…"_

Bickslow's breathing had returned to normal, and Freed sighed, looking over at Lisanna as the tears tracked down her cheeks. He spoke in a whisper, not wanting to wake up the sleeping man in between them.

"Are you okay?"

Lisanna looked at him and she wanted to be strong, she really did. But as she began to shake her head the first sob left her body, and she looked down at the wound in her stomach. Freed cursed, standing off the bed and offering a hand out to her.

"Come on, I've got something that can help with that."

He led her out into the living room, the sunlight just starting to stream through the window and light it up just enough for them to see. Lisanna sniffled, trying to keep it together but ultimately failing as he sat her down on the kitchen counter.

"Mira?"

Freed shook his head, heading around into the kitchen to grab something from one of the top cupboards.

"She's already gone out to work about half an hour ago. You'll have to do with me I'm afraid."

He pulled down a few bottles and some bandages, setting them down on the counter next to Lisanna.

"How did you know to come help me?"

Freed smiled, grabbing antiseptic wipes and opening a packet of gloves.

"I have runes that alert me if he's having a night terror. I'm afraid I don't have much healing magic so I'll have to do this the old fashioned way, can you take your shirt off?"

Lisanna blushed heavily, and Freed looked up to her when he suddenly realised what he had asked. He was used to doing this for the rest of his team and none of them really cared if they were naked around each other.

"Uh, I need to put ointment on it and bandage it, and it's best if your shirt…"

Lisanna nodded, and Freed turned around so she could lift the baggy shirt over her head and cover herself up with her hands. Turning back around he let out a low whistle.

"Woah, that's a pretty nasty one."

He got in close to her stomach to examine it, before he started to wipe it down. Lisanna cursed in pain, clenching her teeth as she watched him.

"You know he gave me quite a fright when he had one on that job you went on earlier in the week. Thank you for dealing with that, by the way."

Lisanna nodded. She wasn't really used to small talk from Freed, but she guessed he was just trying to distract her from what he was doing.

"It's okay. Does he have them often?"

Freed shrugged, wiping her burn a few more times before grabbing some ointment and starting to apply it. She jumped at the cold liquid on her skin, and Freed apologised quietly.

"Sorry. He has them… quite a lot. Not as often as he used to and this is one of the worst in a while. Might have been the argument you had earlier setting it off."

Lisanna sobbed slightly, and Freed backpedalled.

"Not that you caused it! It's the tiniest things that can cause them, and sometimes nothing at all."

Lisanna closed her eyes, spare hand clasping the side of the counter as Freed finished applying the ointment and moved to the bandages.

"Like, this one time when he was about fourteen, Evergreen threatened to leave him at a zoo because he was obviously a monkey. He joked about it and made her storm off but he had nightmares about it for weeks."

Lisanna smiled slightly, before grimacing as Freed pressed the pad of the bandage onto her stomach.

"Or when I was sixteen so he would have been around eighteen we were going undercover and he had to shave all his hair off. I think he still has nightmares about that one cause he wakes up and checks it's still there. Or when we did a job for a guy with a lisp. For some reason lisps always set him off. So who knows? Maybe it was watching me make out with Laxus or watching Bacchus strip?"

Lisanna chuckled as Freed leant forward to wrap the bandage around her, apologising as he bumped into her chest. Bickslow's mind was obviously a very complicated place that she couldn't even begin to understand.

"Plus, they're always much worse on quieter nights. He barely ever has them when it's storming outside."

Lisanna nodded as he tied off the bandage, but stopped him when he started to put the medical supplies away.

"Could you check my back? I think he did a job on it with his nails."

Freed moved around to her back, wincing when he saw the eight deep red scratches that raked down her back. They were still bleeding heavily and he grabbed another antiseptic wipe to start cleaning them down.

"Oh, Bickslow. You're going to hate yourself when you see this."

Lisanna sobbed above him, although whether it was from him dabbing at the wounds or what he was saying he couldn't tell.

"I'll deal with it. Don't worry. You said it's better on stormy evenings, is that because of Laxus?"

Freed shrugged as he grabbed another wipe, trying to get rid of the blood that was dripping down her back.

"Either he likes storms because of Laxus or he likes Laxus because of storms, I don't know. Or maybe it's just a coincidence."

Grabbing a bandage he placed it across the scratches as well as he could before pausing. They were quite high up on her back, and he would have to…

"Lisanna, this is going to be awkward. I'm sorry."

She looked confused for a second before realising the bandage would have to wind across her breasts. She lifted her arms up, trying not to blush as he quickly wrapped the bandage around. She should talk about something. Yeah. That would make it less awkward.

"Freed? What did you do to the babies?"

Freed paused for a moment, not sure whether how much he should tell her about what the babies were and how they worked. It wasn't his knowledge to tell.

"I sent them to sleep, like Bickslow does. It's a rune we developed together for when he's having nightmares and they're going insane."

Lisanna nodded, it made sense if they were out on jobs and the babies might give them away. Especially if Bickslow had to hide the fact he was an Sieth mage.

Freed tied off the last bandage and set about tidying everything away as Lisanna looked down at her body. Practically her whole torso was bandaged, and she wondered what she was going to tell Bickslow when he woke up. Freed came around to the front of her again, helping her into her shirt before lifting her off the counter.

"If you wanted to go and sleep in my bed I can go look after him until the morning?"

Lisanna shook her head, making her way to where Bickslow was still lying, snoring softly. Saying goodnight to Freed, and wondering just how much sleep the two of them were likely to get, she closed the door quietly. Crawling into the bed she placed her head on his chest and smiled slightly when he turned in his sleep, wrapping her up in his arms.

* * *

Lisanna woke to someone kissing her neck and moaned softly at the feeling. Bickslow smiled as he felt her stirring, pulling his arm up to stroke her cheek. She stretched herself out, popping her shoulder joints as she did.

"Morning, Bickslow."

He lifted his head, staring into her eyes and allowing a grin to spread across his face.

"Good morning, gorgeous."

Lisanna smiled back, looking around the room for any sign of his totems but seeing none of them. Bickslow must have picked up on what she was doing because he smiled as he threw one of his legs over her hips to straddle her.

"They've gone to play with Mira for a while, I thought we could have some time to ourselves."

Lisanna grinned, pulling his head down so she could kiss him. His tongue entered her mouth within seconds, and wrestled with hers. Lisanna moaned as his hand moved down her chest, drawing lazily across the fabric before hitting her skin at her hip. His fingers made a U-turn at the top of her trousers, worming their way underneath her shirt and moving upwards towards her breasts.

Bickslow suddenly froze, and Lisanna panicked for a second before realising what had happened. He had found the bandages. He was sat on her knees within seconds, pushing her top up until it was pooled at her neck, revealing all of the bandages across her torso to him. He collapsed back, fingers tearing at his hair as tears began to well up in his eyes.

"Shit. SHIT! Lisanna! What did I do to you!?"

Lisanna moved to sit up, going to touch his cheek but he flinched away from her hand.

"It's okay, Bicks…"

"Okay?!"

He jumped off the bed, hitting the opposite wall in his attempt to get as far away from her as he could.

"This is not 'Okay'! This is the opposite of okay! I hurt you, Lisanna, I…"

He fell to the floor, burying his head in his hands as he descended into sobs. Lisanna scooted to the end of the bed, resting a hand on his shoulder only to have it shrugged off.

"It was an accident…"

"That doesn't FUCKING matter!"

Lisanna knelt down in front of him, grabbing his chin and pulling up his head so she could stare into his eyes. He wiped his nose across the back of his hand, but tears still poured from his eyes and toppled down his cheeks.

"You're right. It doesn't matter. In a day or two I'll be fine. This wasn't you making a choice to hurt me, Bickslow."

Bickslow sniffed, before pitching forwards and pulling her into his embrace. She placed a kiss on his cheek, before letting him cry into her shoulder. This wasn't anything she was used to, but she moved her hand slowly through his hair because it felt like the best thing to do. After a while her knees started to ache from the position she was sat in and she rose to her feet, pulling him with her before collapsing back on the bed with him. He chuckled slightly as they both bounced before he pulled away from her shoulder to look into her eyes. She smiled softly, lifting up on one elbow to kiss him again. It was soft, slow, and tasted of the salty tang of tears, but it was still perfect. He moved to straddle her again, still refusing to put any weight on her torso but placing his elbows either side of her head as he deepened the kiss. Her hands trailed down his chest, over his abs to slip inside his boxers and he hissed as they brushed his hips.

Lisanna jumped as she heard a knock on the door, pulling her hands up and out and breaking the connection between them. Bickslow dropped his head to her shoulder, groaning as he did.

"Fuck off!"

Lisanna batted the side of his chest, pushing him off the top of her as she readjusted and pulled her top back down until it covered her.

"Bickslow! That's rude!"

Bickslow threw his back against the bed, sighing as he did.

"Fucking fine, Freed. Come the fuck in."

Lisanna scrambled up to the top of the bed to sit with her back against the wall, Bickslow following soon after as Freed came into the room carrying a tray with a plate full of bacon sandwiches and three cups full of hot drinks. Lisanna's face lit up, and even Bickslow stopped pouting as much. Freed sat down at the end of the bed, resting his back against one of the other walls as he passed a coffee to Lisanna, what looked like a herbal tea to Bickslow and grabbed one of the bacon sandwiches. Bickslow tucked in not soon after, putting a sandwich in his mouth before grabbing two more and digging in. Lisanna grinned, taking a drink from her coffee before grabbing a sandwich.

"Wow, how do I get my own live in Freed?"

Freed rolled his eyes, starting to speak before Bickslow interrupted.

"You literally live with Mira…"

"You don't want one. They don't let you walk around the house naked."

Lisanna giggled, taking a bite out of the sandwich and watching Bickslow trying to break the world record at how fast he could scarf his down.

"Fucking hell, Bickslow, remember to breathe."

The Sieth just flipped the bird at Freed, before drinking down his tea in one. Lisanna had never put him as a tea drinker, but she was learning more about him by the minute.

"I can't help it, _Freed_ , I'm a growing boy. I need my sustenance."

Freed scoffed, taking another bite from his sandwich. He was already fully dressed, apart from his coat and boots, and he kicked his feet up onto the bed almost casually. Lisanna looked at him for a while, trying to remember the events of the night before.

"Hey, Freed?"

He looked up at her, finishing his coffee before it disappeared in a cloud of runes along with Bickslow's empty mug. Bickslow grabbed the last sandwich, and Freed sighed before sending the tray out too.

"Last night you said you'd slept with a Dragon Slayer. Who was it?"

Bickslow nearly choked on his sandwich, coughing as he tried to laugh. Freed turned bright red, completely speechless at her question before Bickslow composed himself.

"Well…"

"Bickslow. Don't you say a fucking word."

Lisanna grimaced. Had she brought up a touchy topic? Bickslow chuckled again, finishing the last of his sandwich, staring into Freed's eyes as he swallowed it down.

"You see, Lisanna, Freed has actually fucked more Dragon Slayers than anyone else in Fiore."

Freed leapt across the bed faster than she thought possible to straddle him and clamp a hand across his mouth.

"I mean it, Bickslow. I will cut out your fucking eyes."

Bickslow's eyes widened, and Lisanna was sure he was going to take the other man over, but instead he grabbed a hold of his wrist and started to wriggle. His legs came up behind Freed's back, tugging his hair between them and Freed reached up towards his head to try and stop it. Within seconds Bickslow had bent at the waist, wrapping his arms around Freed's back and using his weight to turn them both over so Freed was on the bottom. Lisanna held her cup up, stopping it from spilling any of her coffee. Thank you, all those years behind a bar.

Bickslow pinned Freed's arms above his head, leaning incredibly close with his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

"Oh, the eyes that you'll have to look into to cut out?"

Freed sneered, struggling beneath Bickslow but the Sieth was so much stronger he couldn't make any leeway at all.

"I'll wear glasses."

Bickslow scoffed, laughing down at his friends pitiful attempts to escape.

"Ha! Nerd! How did you manage to fuck both of the twin dragons at the same time?"

The room was filled with silence for a few seconds, before Freed screeched and started struggling even harder.

"BICKSLOW!"

Freed bucked his hips into Bickslow's, trying to throw the larger man off but to no avail. Bickslow simply laughed, leaning more weight on his arms as he spoke.

"Alright, Freed, I know you're getting horny thinking about it but I've told you before I'm just not into…"

"Dark Ècriture: Pleasure"

Bickslow tried to duck out of the way of the spell coming towards him, but the close proximity made it impossible. It hit him full force in the chest and he groaned, eyes clamping shut as he flopped down heavily onto Freed. The Rune Mage took advantage of the situation, flipping Bickslow over onto his back, sitting down on his thighs and pinning his arms to his chest. Bickslow panted in exhaustion, narrowing his eyes at Freed.

"Wow, even I can't make you moan like that."

Lisanna giggled as Bickslow turned his head to glare at her.

"Hush, you. Come help."

Lisanna shook her head, scooting into the corner of the bed as she finished off her coffee.

"Nah, you boys look like you're having fun."

Bickslow rolled his eyes, before turning his attention back to Freed.

"You know what, Freed? Lisanna is right. That _was_ fun. No one makes me moan like you do. Maybe we _should_ give it a go."

He tried to pull himself up to Freed's face, but the man pulled away, leaving Bickslow a few inches short of his goal. Freed smirked for a second, before Bickslow stuck out his tongue and licked all the way up his face.

Freed gagged, wincing backwards but not letting Bickslow go. After he had composed himself he grinned, something that looked frankly terrifying on his face.

"You know what, Bickslow? Fuck this. I'm done. You want it so bad? Dark Ècriture: Pleasure."

Bickslow _whined_ as the spell hit him, dropping down onto the bed as his back arched and his hips bucked involuntarily. His eyes started to glow, and Lisanna pointedly looked away in case he looked at her. Freed took the opportunity to scramble backwards off the bed, heading towards the door before pausing and looking at the girl in the bed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Lisanna. Collateral damage and all that."

Lisanna looked at him in confusion but he was already out of the door. Before she could call out to him Bickslow jumped her, attacking her neck with his teeth and making her squeak in surprise.

"Lisanna." His voice was low and gravelled, and it shot pleasure right between her legs. His eyes were clamped shut, but a bright green glow still shone through the lids. "If it's okay with you I need to fuck you. Like. Right now."

Lisanna blushed as he ripped her shirt up and over her head. Well, that was one way to stop him feeling guilty about her injuries at least.

* * *

 **A/N - The song that Freed sings is Lullaby by Newton Faulkner.**

 **Thanks to everyone for their wonderful reviews! Just so you know this fic isn't going to be affected by the hiatus that Iron and Paper is going on, it gives this fic a chance to catch up.**

 **And special thanks to Gajeelswoman and Kmmcm for being the best friends ever.**


	33. Chapter 33

Laxus let himself into the apartment only ten minutes later than usual. Freed was sat on the sofa, already fully dressed and ready to go. Laxus nodded to him, going to ask where Bickslow was before Freed almost read his mind and pointed to his room. Laxus grinned, throwing his coat down on the back of Freed's sofa before striding over to Bickslow's room.

He smirked as he heard the heavy breathing coming from the room, along with the overpowering stench of sex. Oh. This was going to be good. Leaning on his right foot he leant his whole body backwards, before bringing up his left boot and smashing it into the door.

Lisanna screamed underneath Bickslow as the door flew open, and Laxus stepped in nonchalantly as she tried to cover herself and shoved Bickslow off her. Bickslow rolled lazily, using his hand to cover himself as he glared up at the Dragon Slayer.

"Sup, Boss."

Laxus smirked as Lisanna scrambled to grab blankets to cover herself more fully. He tried not to look at her out of politeness, he really did not want her sister coming after him.

"We're going training. You too, Lisanna, seeing as your brother has stolen Evergreen we need someone to make up the numbers."

Bickslow groaned, slamming his head down against the pillow before turning towards Lisanna again.

"Alright, give me like fifteen minutes to finish up here and then…"

Lisanna transformed into some clothes, starting to get out of bed and head towards the door.

"It's okay, Laxus. We're coming now."

Bickslow cursed loudly as he watched his girlfriend leave the room. This was already forming up to be a pretty shitty day.

Laxus just smirked at the Sieth, leaning on the door frame as he heard Freed start to make small talk with Lisanna in the room behind him.

"Fifteen minutes? Really? You think you can last that long."

Bickslow sneered back, standing up and starting to pull on boxers. He was about to comment in return until his door shut, and he realised Laxus had already gone.

* * *

Laxus sighed at the hurried footsteps as he strode up the hill to the guild's training grounds. There was only one person who ran in such an uncoordinated way, and the scent that filled his nose confirmed his suspicions.

"What the fuck, man? Why?"

Laxus sneered across at Bickslow, now fully dressed in his normal attire with his arms crossed stubbornly over his chest and his training bag dangling from one shoulder.

"We train at this time, every other day. Or did you forget when you ran off on that job without telling anyone?"

Bickslow stuck out his tongue in annoyance, a habit that Laxus had given up trying to beat out of him years ago.

"It was an exorcism. You _always_ moan that they're boring whenever you tag along."

Laxus scoffed, narrowing his eyes at the man as they kept perfect pace. The similar heights made walking together much easier than when they had Evergreen and Freed.

"That doesn't mean I don't want to go! Or at least fucking know where you are."

Bickslow rolled his eyes. He was supposed to be the bodyguard, but Laxus had been even more protective of him since he was admitted back to the guild if that was even possible.

"What, like I'm your child and have to check in?"

Laxus huffed. Arguing with Bickslow was always an uphill struggle, even Freed found it difficult sometimes and he was the most intelligent man Laxus knew.

"Well, maybe if you didn't act like one all the fucking time I wouldn't treat you like one."

Bickslow threw his arms up in the air, totally ignoring the fact that it made him look even more childish. Subtlety had never been his strong point.

"I'm _older_ than you, Laxus."

Laxus scoffed, tempted to not even warrant that with a response before remembering that tactic never worked with Bickslow. He always, without fail, took it as a win.

"Uh no, you're not. But keep trying."

* * *

Lisanna was walking side by side with Freed a couple hundred meters down the road, watching Bickslow speak animatedly with Laxus as the other man seemed to be growing annoyed with whatever he was saying. Freed had kept quiet the whole time they had walked up there, and it was driving Lisanna slowly insane.

"How often do you all train?"

Freed smiled, adjusting his sword so it sat more comfortably on his hip. Lisanna had claimed one of his tank tops as she rushed around trying to find something to wear for training as Laxus refused to let her go home and get changed and was wearing it as what could technically pass as a dress. She had managed to swap her bandages over for new ones, but they still restricted her movement slightly. She hadn't wanted to use her transformation magic if she was being forced to train all morning.

"When we're not on jobs we train every other day, and then the days we're not training together we're supposed to work on our own training. I work on my runes and Evergreen works on her Fairy Magic."

Lisanna skipped a little to keep up with him, the man almost marching as he made his way up the hill.

"What about Bickslow?"

Freed laughed, a noise that was alien to Lisanna no matter how long she stayed around the guild. Even spending even a short amount of time with the Thunder Legion outside of the guild she had learned an awful lot more about them.

"You know, I have no idea. He's never told us."

Lisanna looked over at him incredulously, not quite believing what she was hearing.

"You live with him, how do you not know?"

Freed shrugged as they entered the training ring, and Lisanna watched as Bickslow threw his bag to the ground and allowed empty totems to spill across the dirt.

"You live with your siblings, are you saying they know everything that you do?"

Lisanna paused for a second, realising what Freed was saying and crossing her arms in annoyance as she waited for Laxus to tell them what they were doing.

Laxus pulled off his shirt as Freed shrugged out of his coat and placed it on the bench as Bickslow threw himself down onto the bench. Laxus walked over to stand next to Lisanna, before shouting over to his two bodyguards.

"You two fight. Lisanna, you're with me."

Lisanna's mouth gaped open as she stared at the Dragon Slayer. He had at least a foot on her, not to mention a hundred pounds of pure muscle.

"You're fucking kidding me, right? There is no way I can fight you. You're _S-Class_ and I'm… well, I'm me."

Laxus scoffed, squaring up opposite her but she still refused to change her form. If she changed that would indicate she was up to fighting, and she definitely wasn't.

"I need to practice against someone fast and agile. That's you."

Lisanna threw her arms up, before realising how high it pulled up her top and snapped them back down.

"So's Bickslow! Why don't you…"

She jumped to the left and screamed as a bolt of lightning crashed to the floor where she had been stood moments before. She looked up at Laxus in horror, if that had hit her then she would have been done. Laxus just smirked, rolling his shoulders as he prepared to fight.

"You're smaller than Bickslow. Now come on, kitty cat. Fight me."

Lisanna sighed, knowing that she wasn't getting out of this easily. Allowing her magic to overtake her she transformed into her cat soul and prepared to fight. Laxus raised his eyebrows at her, sliding his left foot back about six inches. He lifted both hands in front of him, holding them open with his palms facing the sky, before quirking his fingers towards himself, taunting her.

Lisanna tried to relax her shoulders, before striking out at Laxus half-heartedly. He dodged out the way easily and tutted at her.

"Come on, Lisanna. Fight me!"

Before she could think he had lashed out at her, aiming a fist right at her face and making her duck before bringing his right arm around to hook his fist at her side. She jumped back, pulling up her forearms to defend herself. He fought much the same way as Elfman did when he wasn't in takeover form. That was fine. She could deal with that.

She stayed light on her feet, never staying still as she bounced around the arena and waited for her opening. There. When he returned his right arm to his side he always left himself open slightly. Extending her claws she lashed out, scratching three deep marks across his chest and smiling at herself as she did. She was pleased for less than a second before lightning shocked up her arm, spreading pain throughout her flesh as she instinctively jerked it back. She cradled it to her chest as her skin burned from the electricity and stared at Laxus in terror.

"Fuck! You don't hold back, do you!?"

Laxus smirked again, looking down at the wound on his chest and laughing slightly.

"Good hit. Let's see if you can keep that up."

Lisanna dodged right as he came at her again, missing his fist by a few inches before jumping back out of reach again. If she could just stay away… She managed to avoid him for a few moments until he stopped, and she wondered whether he was changing tactics.

Realisation hit when he started to take in a deep breath, and Lisanna knew what he was going to do. She had seen Natsu do it enough times to recognise it in her sleep. Surely he wasn't going to…

Change. She needed to take over. Her cat soul had zero defence against what he was about to do. There was one, but she hadn't been able to perfect it yet. Fuck it. It was now or never. This took more effort, like trying to get into a corset rather than an old comfortable hoody, and she hoped she could change in time.

Laxus planted his feet as he let out his roar, full force heading towards the takeover mage in front of him. The little healer was at the guild anyway, she could sort Lisanna out. Plus Mira had given him strict instructions not to go easy on her little sister. She needed to get stronger, apparently. He grinned as the electricity overtook her, a smile that disappeared once the magic started to dissipate.

Lisanna was still stood there, forearms up to protect her face and covered with hard plates. When she let them fall to her sides he could see the same chitinous substance covering her breasts in a rough bra shape, leaving her stomach exposed before covering her crotch so she was at least decent. A long tail ending in a sharp stinger waved lazily behind her, and she panted heavily from the exhaustion. Laxus cocked his head in confusion. Well. He'd never seen that before.

"What the fuck is that?"

Lisanna shrugged opposite him, and as he looked down her body he could see more plates on her calves moving down onto her heels and leaving her feet bare.

"I needed something with a bit more armour and this was the best I could do. Turns out it also insulates electrical currents. Who knew?"

Laxus started to laugh, a deep belly laugh that made him double over and clutch at his stomach. Lisanna huffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she did.

"What?"

Laxus took a few deep breaths to compose himself, wiping a few tears away from his eyes.

"It's just… you are wearing very little armour there sweetheart."

Lisanna huffed. Yeah, of course, she had heard it all before about how her takeovers covered very little but they were very difficult to change and the more magic energy she used on that the less time she could use her takeovers to fight. She flexed her fingers, stretched some of her arm muscles and got back into the fight.

She wasn't sure, but she thought that she was faster in this form than she was in her cat soul, making this the fastest form she had. She used the extra armour on her forearms to block Laxus' punches, the electricity dancing across the surface and only coming to her skin as light tingles that felt weirdly pleasant. She started to use her tail in conjunction with her arms, she hadn't managed to perfect the claws yet so it was the only weapon she had. And it was effective too, once she got used to it. Whenever Laxus managed to dodge it she would lash out in a punch, and when he swept her arms away her tail was right back on him. If the other men in the training circle had been bothering to pay attention they would have seen just a blur as both mages sped up and up. They managed to match each other's speed, alternating between attacking and defending before Lisanna froze

It took him a second to realise, but she had come to a stop with the stinger on the end of her tail mere millimetres away from the pulse on his neck. It had been hidden perfectly behind her back right up until she struck, and he grinned down at her. It was one of the best hand to hand fights he had ever had, maybe she was stronger than everyone thought.

"Why'd you stop?"

She was breathing heavily, face red from exertion as she balanced on her legs with her left fist resting on his right forearm as her right raised to power towards his face.

"I don't know if this thing's venomous, let alone how to reverse any damage it does to you."

Laxus smiled down at her, and all of the cockiness she remembered from before she went to Edolas was back on his face.

"Oh, sweetheart. That was your biggest mistake."

As fast as he had moved before his right arm twisted, grabbing her tail just below the stinger before yanking it back towards him. Lisanna squeaked as she was pulled off balance, agony spreading up from the base of her tail across her spine and down her legs as she was forced to spin and topple back into him. His left palm slammed into the unprotected spot right between her shoulder blades, and she had a moment to register the pain before lightning shot down his arm and danced across her skin. She writhed in anguish as the blow pushed her forward, glad that Laxus let go of her tail as she sprawled on her front across the ground.

"Lightning Dragon Halberd!"

Fuck. She had to move, and quickly. She rolled across the dirt as the spell decimated the ground next to her, before springing up to her feet again. Her whole back side ached, but she couldn't give up now. She had come so fucking close. Balancing on her left foot she brought her right up, aiming to slam the base of her heel into his temple. She put all of her effort into the swing, but his left hand shot up, grabbing her ankle before it met it's target and holding it still as he stared down at her. She whined at the vulnerable position he had left her in, legs split wide apart as she wobbled on her left leg and threw her arms out to try and regain her balance.

"That works well in movies, but you've telegraphed too much. If you had tried it when you were up to speed you may have got me, but this time you were too slow."

Lisanna whined as Laxus pulled her leg higher, extending her groin to a point where it shot pain through her muscles as he leered at her. She flicked her tail round the way she was used to with her cat tail to try and keep her balance, desperate to get into a position that was slightly less painful, and a lot less embarrassing. It flailed to the left, and she barely even noticed when the point stuck into soft flesh.

Laxus cursed when the sting at the end of her tail embedded itself in between his ribs just below his guild emblem and he felt a slow burn as it released its venom inside of him. Shouting out he threw her foot into the air, pushing her off balance as she fell backwards and not even noticing the powerful magic which path he just threw her into.

* * *

"Bickslow, you know Laxus will not be happy if you stand here watching them fight the whole time."

Bickslow remained sitting on the bench, leaning backwards with one leg crossed over the other as he watched Lisanna transform into her cat soul.

"But _look at her_ Freed! You're about to watch her take down Laxus. You're telling me you want to miss that?"

Freed sighed and drew his sword from its sheath as he cranked his arm back to swipe it across Bickslow's back. The cape should stop it, anyway. Maybe. But before it could hit it collided with wood, embedding itself in a totem before coming to a complete stop as the soul refused to budge any further.

"She's not going to beat Laxus."

Bickslow sneered, turning around on the bench slightly to narrow his eyes at the rune mage.

"Oh, yeah? And what do you know?"

Freed smiled. This was exactly how to get a good fight with Bickslow, and knowing how to get into the mind of an enemy was training as well, right?

"Because Laxus is not only a Dragon Slayer, but he's S-Class as well. There are no two ways about it, he's stronger than her."

Bickslow rose to his feet, jumping up onto the bench and looking down at his teammate. He gave the impression of anger, but really he was watching Freed's hands intently. Part of his tactics was always giving off an air of idiocy, making his enemies underestimate him. It had served him well uncountable times in the past. He stared down the other man as he assessed his totems. Poppo's body was badly damaged, sure, but right now it was doing an impeccable job of making Freed's sword almost useless.

Freed's left hand started to move behind his back, and Pappa wasted no time in letting Bickslow know. He couldn't allow the man to form a trap or he was fucked. He allowed his mind to call out to the four intact totems, and they all started to attack at once.

Freed cursed as his concentration was broken and his rune trap fell before it had even really started. The blasts didn't hurt him, not really. He had learnt the frequency of their magic long ago and implanted runes into his clothes to neutralise them, but he still shouted out to stop Bickslow from figuring that particular fact out. Raising his arms to protect his face he took a few steps forward, bringing his sword back around to hit the back of Bickslow's legs. The totem was still blocking a large chunk of the sharp edge, but that didn't matter. He just needed the force of the blow to buckle the Sieth's knees and he would be sprawled across the floor. Poppo's body hit Bickslow's left knee and he started to stumble backwards, Freed smirking in triumph as he watched his friend fall. His face fell as Bickslow planted his hands on the dirt ground, bending his elbows to absorb the shock before using the momentum of his body to swing his legs over his head. Two empty wooden dolls fell to the ground as he transferred Pappa and Peppe into his wrap and cape to keep them out of the way, Pippi and Puppu zooming over to catch his feet as he completed his flip.

As soon as his feet were stable he was swept into the air, flying high above Freed and cackling as he did. His souls slipped out of his clothing and back into wooden bodies starting to attack Freed again, who was still stood on the floor swearing. He couldn't allow the man a second to write a trap.

"Dark Ecriture: Wings!"

Within moments Freed was rising into the air to meet Bickslow. The Sieth just smirked. Sure, Freed was the faster of the two but no one could outmanoeuvre Bickslow, or guess what he was going to do. There was a slight delay in all of his movements due to trying to coordinate the two babies he was stood on separately, but Freed had never been able to take advantage of that before. He started to swoop through the air, cackling as he did while Freed tried to keep up with him. Pappa and Peppe flanked him, providing cover as Freed got more and more impatient.

"Dark Ecriture: Pain!"

Bickslow saw the magic coming towards him through the totem's eyes and accelerated Pippi and Puppu downwards so it flew harmlessly over his head. Freed cursed as Peppe slammed into the side of his head out of nowhere, knocking him off balance and forcing him to take a few moments to readjust.

"Dark Ecriture: Panic!"

Bickslow dodged to the side, arching his back as the magic brushed his cape. Fuck. That had been close. He laughed, about to taunt Freed before he looked up to see another burst of magic fly towards him. He had been so distracted he didn't even hear Freed speak, and he had never been able to read the language the man's magic was written in. The ecriture hit him square in the chest and he braced himself for its effects, but nothing came. The fucking idiot had sent a dud. The man whooped, jumping into the air. He thought he would land squarely on his totems again, but his left foot missed Pippi by a few inches and for the first time in years he felt himself slip.

He tried to grab onto one of his totems but felt his hand swing through the empty air, and seconds later all his souls started to panic as he lost full control of them. He braced himself for impact, before feeling the hard ground slam against his back as he cursed at the pain it shot through him.

Freed smirked as he looked down at the man, sprawled across the ground. He had fallen from much higher, he would be fine. Dark Ecriture: Clumsy was a new spell he had been testing out in secret, specifically for his friend. Folding in his wings he drifted down slowly, ready to tease him before he saw the Sieth's clenched jaw and followed the man's gaze to where Laxus was stood, stretching one of Lisanna's legs high above her head in a position that didn't seem at all comfortable.

"Fuck. Think we should help her out?"

Bickslow stumbled to his feet, watching as Laxus pulled Lisanna's leg higher and higher. What the fuck did he think he was doing? He nodded as he called all five souls to him, Poppo getting himself a new body as they started to spin around in front of him to build up energy. Freed stood behind him, raising his now unblocked sword and pushing his hair out of his eye. He could feel the waves of energy coming off Bickslow's totems and he knew it was about to explode. His own magic pulsed in his eye. He had to time this perfectly for the best effect.

Freed released the Dark Ecriture of Pain just as Bickslow's magic overflowed, barreling up the spell in its wake and sending it shooting towards Laxus. Just as it got too far for them to have any chance to pull it back Laxus shouted, throwing Lisanna to the side and right into the path of the magic.


	34. Chapter 34

Lisanna was overcome with horror when she felt the release of the venom in her tail. Fuck. She had no idea what it did, didn't know if it would kill the man or how long she had to get him to Wendy.

She didn't have much time to think, though, as she was struck by a blast of magic before she even hit the floor and was flung across the arena.

The first thing she felt was pain, taking over the totality of her existence as she screamed in torment. It was the worst pain she had ever felt in her life, each and every synapse and neuron firing and causing her agony in places she never even knew she had. For the first time she prayed for death, even death was preferable to this torture.

As she hit the floor and rolled the pain stopped, to be replaced by a dull ache rather than the raw agony it had been before. She was sure that if this pain had come first she would have found it excruciating, but after the intensity of the pain she had felt before it was almost comforting. It still made black spots swarm across her vision, and she knew she was going to pass out. At least if she passed out it would be a break from the burning across her skin.

"Fuck! Lisanna!"

She knew that voice, she was sure she knew that voice but right now she couldn't place it. All she wanted to do was drift down into sleep.

Bickslow cursed as Lisanna's eyes closed, lifting her up into his arms and listening to her chest. She was still breathing. Good. The Unison Raid they had cast was intended to knock Laxus out, she hadn't stood a chance. Her magic had dissipated as soon as she hit the ground, and he could see her skin still burning from the totems' magic blasts. As gentle as he could he lifted her into his arms, cradling her like a child before he made his way over to where Laxus was lying in the dirt.

"What the FUCK, Laxus?"

The Dragon Slayer was stretched out, clutching onto the wound in his ribs as Freed knelt next to him to try and inspect it. He was looking worse for wear, purple veins spreading out underneath the black ink of his tattoo and forehead sweating profusely. When he spoke it was strained, and he panted in between words.

"You think I fucking meant to do that? I couldn't have done it if I tried. She stabbed me, I pulled her back and some absolute jackasses decided to throw a high powered spell at me right at that moment."

Bickslow tutted. He had a point, and the fact it was Laxus saved his life. If it was anyone else he would have finished them off right then and there. Freed finally got Laxus to let him look at the hole in his chest, and couldn't help but take an intake of breath when he saw it. The flesh around it was already starting to necrose, and the blonde's breath was starting to get rattly.

"Bickslow, what kind of venom did she use!?"

Bickslow shrugged, his brain warring between being proud of his girlfriend, worried for his idol and incensed at what had happened between the two of them.

"I have no idea. I've never seen that takeover before."

Freed cursed as Laxus' eyelids began to droop, and he knew that this was way above his head.

"We need to get him to Wendy, now. Lisanna too. But I can't carry him, you're going to have to take him. I'll take Lisanna."

Bickslow shook his head, pulling Lisanna closer to him and trying to ignore the smell of burning flesh that came off her as he did.

"No. Use your runes."

Freed looked up at him, eyes full of wrath. He spoke through gritted teeth, and Bickslow didn't even notice that Laxus' eyes had rolled back in his head as he lost consciousness.

"We don't have time for your stupid fucking games, Bickslow. I just went through training and then performed a Unison Raid with you. I don't have anywhere near enough energy to transport me to the guild, let alone all of us. Let me take Lisanna."

Bickslow looked down a the girl in his arms, sighing deeply as he did. Freed had stood up, holding his arms out to take her. Every voice in his head screamed at him not to let her go, to turn around and run her to the guild and if anyone else's life was at stake he probably would have done. But it was Laxus. As gently as he could he passed Lisanna over to Freed, before pushing some hair out of her eyes.

"Be gentle with her. Please?"

Freed was going to scoff, but he looked up to see how serious Bickslow was and settled for just nodding. Turning around he headed off to the guild and hoped that the Sieth would keep up his end of the deal and follow with Laxus.

Bickslow spun on his heel, calling his totems to him as he did. Leaning down he grabbed Laxus' hand, pulling him up and over his shoulder as his totems helped stabilise him.

"Fucking hell you're heavy, Boss."

The Sieth grunted as he tried to settle his friend's weight on himself, some of his anger fading when the only response he got from the Dragon Slayer was a pained gasp. His steps quickened at that point, half dragging the bigger man. He listened intently to Laxus' breathing and the softer footsteps of the Rune Mage as he overtook him. Bickslow had always been stronger, faster than his teammate when he was in his human form, and now was no exception. The focus he put into those things made the trip seem like it was taking forever. They should be at the hall by now. Finally, after much too long, Bickslow looked up from the path to see the guildhall looming ahead of them. Without a second thought, he threw two of his spirits from their bodies into the doors of the hall, flinging them open with a resounding thud. All activity inside stopped, heads craning to see who was making such a racket so early.

"There was an accident! Where's Wendy?!"

Bickslow yelled, his throat hoarse from the gasped breaths he'd taken as he lugged Laxus down the lane. He peeked over his shoulder at Freed behind him, trying to make sure Lisanna was still breathing. There was a scrambling of bodies as the few people already in the guild ran to help. If he'd been watching, Bickslow would have seen the panic on Mirajane's face before she whirled to run out the back of the hall to race to Fairy Hills and find Wendy. Instead, he dragged Laxus back towards the infirmary of the guild, needing to put him down sooner rather than later. Kinana rushed in front of him, holding the door open as he rushed in, placing him down on the bed before turning to collect Lisanna from Freed. He laid her down on the bed, pulling the ruins of her top off her body before going to rifle through cupboards to find what he needed. There had to be some somewhere, they had used it millions of times before when someone had been burnt by his babies.

Kinana was on Laxus in seconds, ripping his shirt away from the damaged skin and getting as close as she could to inspect it. The wound had started to turn black, and dark purple veins were spreading out in a web across his skin. Bickslow looked at her in confusion as he continued pulling down useless bottles, and Freed rushed over to stand next to her.

"Do we need to suck the venom out?"

Kinana shook her head violently, looking at the rune mage incredulously.

"What? No. Absolutely not, that's only in stories. This is a big sting, what got him?"

Bickslow couldn't help the proud grin that spread across his face, even with the angry look that Freed shot at him.

"Lisanna got a new takeover."

Kinana looked up in shock for a second, but then she was all business again, barking orders to Freed as Bickslow made his way back over to Lisanna's bedside and started washing down her burns with antiseptic. Fuck, that was going to sting when she woke up.

"Freed, if you want to help I need warm soapy water, and a few cold compresses. I can't do anything about the necrosis, but I can slow down the spread of the venom until Wendy gets here."

Freed didn't move, just staring at her in shock for a while as she wiped Laxus' head down with a cloth.

"What do you know about it?"

Kinana paused in her duties, hanging her head low and taking a deep breath before she answered. She didn't lose her patience often, but this. This was serious. She wasn't sure how much longer Laxus had left in him. Lisanna had some potent venom.

"Oh, I don't know, Freed. Maybe because my boyfriend is a poison Dragon Slayer. Maybe because I spent the first half of my life as a venomous snake. Maybe because on my days off I've been apprenticing myself to the Lady Porlyusica so I don't feel so fucking useless. Now could you just hurry the fuck up and do what I tell you?"

Freed stood to attention, his prim and proper ways returning as she shouted at him, before turning and running to grab what she required. As soon as he was back she set about washing Laxus' chest, the water slowly staining a dark maroon as his blood and the venom mixed into it. Grabbing a cold compress, she started to press it onto his chest before realising she wasn't strong enough and needed help.

"Bickslow. Switch, now."

At this point the Sieth had started to wrap bandages around Lisanna's torso, but looked up when Kinana shouted his name. Arguing with himself internally, the babies chattering as they littered the mattress where Lisanna lay, he made his way over to his leader and took the compress from Kinana.

"Press that down with all of your weight for ten minutes, or until Wendy gets here. I'll sort out Lisanna."

* * *

Wendy ran over to the other Dragon Slayer, knocking Bickslow out of the way as she hovered her hands just above his wound. As Bickslow stumbled back Mira grabbed a hold of him, pulling him away to Lisanna's bedside.

"What the fuck did you do to her?"

Bickslow sighed, dropping down onto to the bed next to Lisanna and pulling her head onto his lap before leaning back onto the wall.

"It was an accident, alright? She was fighting Laxus, we tried to help her out and Lisanna may have gotten in the way of a Unison Raid."

Mira's mouth hung open, about to start shouting before Freed reached over and grabbed her hand. The Rune Mage was still watching Wendy heal Laxus, while Kinana stepped away to let Mira get closer to her sister. She was almost completely covered in bandages from head to toe, and her older sister grabbed her hand and held it close.

"How's Laxus doing?"

Freed stared at the younger Dragon Slayer, who was starting to sweat from the effort of healing the older man. She blew some hair out of her eyes, watching as the long black veins started to retreat back from his chest.

"He'll live, no lasting damage either but he won't want to do it again."

Laxus grunted, and Wendy dodged an arm as he reached up to rub at his eyes. He blinked heavily at the bright light in the room, before moaning in pain as he watched Wendy work on him.

"How do you feel, Laxus?"

He shrugged at Freed, trying to pull himself up to sit before Wendy pushed him back down.

"Like I got hit by a train. Lisanna really packs a punch."

Bickslow and Mira both smirked, and Kinana passed a tall glass of water to Laxus, knowing that it would help. Standing back up again she smiled at everyone in the room, noticing that all of the venom had left Laxus' body as Wendy headed over to Lisanna.

"I guess I had better get back to the bar. I left Max covering but we're gonna hit the lunch rush soon."

Mira nodded, watching Wendy get started on healing Lisanna before turning to follow Kinana out of the room.

"Let me know as soon as anything happens. I had better go and help out too."

* * *

Bickslow nodded as he watched Wendy get to work, and Freed made his way over to stand by his side. The Rune Mage knew that Bickslow had to be feeling it, he'd feel the same way if he ever hurt Mira like that. That was the reason they never trained together, well that and the fact it brought back rather unpleasant memories. He watched as Wendy healed the youngest Strauss sibling, and Freed lay a hand on Bickslow's shoulder. The Sieth didn't react, but that was what told Freed he appreciated it.

It wasn't long before Lisanna started to groan, stretching out her muscles before her eyes opened. She blinked a few times, trying to remember where she was and what had happened before it all came back to her.

"Oh. That was a bad idea, right?"

Bickslow laughed, leaning his head back against the wall now that he knew she was safe. Of course, he knew she was strong enough to pull through but that wasn't enough to stop him from worrying. The totems all squealed happily, lifting off the mattress and bumping into her gently as she held out her hand to pull them in. She hugged them for a while, before realisation hit her and she looked down at Wendy.

"Laxus? Is he okay?"

She was answered by a chuckle to her left, and as she looked over she saw Laxus sitting up, removing the remains of his torn shirt.

"I'll live. Good shot, by the way."

Lisanna blushed, realising that she herself was covered by nothing but bandages. She would need to sort that out at some point.

"I guess I need to get stronger, huh?"

"No, you don't."

Laxus had stood up, and was stretching out his arms as his joints cracked.

"You can work on getting stronger all of your life and you are never going to be stronger than me, or Elfman, or a lot of people in the guild. But you're fast, and you're agile and your magic is incredibly effective. We'll work on that, hone your natural abilities and maybe you'll beat me. Occasionally."

Lisanna chuckled, and Bickslow pulled his fingers through her hair. By the way it sounded, she would be training with the Raijinshuu more often.


	35. Chapter 35

Lisanna followed Laxus through the clothing store as he flicked through shirts. She had already been all shopped out when she went with the girls, and so she wasn't super excited to come with them but hadn't wanted to let Bickslow down when he'd looked at her with shining eyes. Laxus was still shirtless, a small bandage stuck to his chest where her tail had struck him. She had to admit she still felt guilty about that.

"If you're just after something to cover up why not just pick the first shirt and go?"

Laxus looked over at her, rolling his eyes before going back to the rack in front of him. She had never seen him as particularly obsessed with fashion, but the more she thought about it the more it made sense she supposed.

"Fine. What about them, why are they here?"

She flicked her head to the side to indicate where Bickslow was holding up a shirt with a stupid slogan on it and Freed was shaking his head. Their bickering had gotten annoying, and plus she needed to find some way to make it back to Laxus. The Dragon Slayer scoffed, pulling out a black shirt to look at it more closely. Lisanna didn't think it would ever fit him.

"I'm here, so they're here. That's how it works."

* * *

"I'm just saying, maybe if you don't have to focus on getting your babies to sort your clothes out you might be more effective in training."

Bickslow leant back on one of the tables, his babies flying around the shop to play hide and seek with one another.

"And I'm saying, Freed, that what's the point? I'm not gonna have time to change before a fight, so I may as well train in my normal clothes."

Freed sighed, putting the sweatpants he had found back down onto the table and heading over to where rows upon rows of tank tops were folded neatly.

"Fine, but at least get some shirts so Lisanna doesn't have to borrow mine."

Bickslow followed him lazily, shaking his head at every piece of fabric the rune mage held up.

"She could have worn one of my shirts…"

He trailed off as he thought to himself, imagined Lisanna in his shirt and nothing else and immediately knew what he was doing that night. Freed sighed. He knew exactly what the Sieth was thinking.

"I'm home tonight so don't you dare."

Bickslow sulked for a moment, and Freed struggled to get any opinion from him at all. He was about to give up when the other man suddenly jumped, running out of the store with his totems following not long after. He wasn't particularly concerned, Bickslow was always the type to come up with an idea and act on it _straight away_ and not even Lisanna was going to change that. Plus, he was a big boy now. He could survive on his own.

* * *

"I don't think any of these shirts will even fit you, Laxus."

He had pulled out a fluorescent green shirt in the largest size, and it still looked like it would be a stretch to get it over his shoulders.

"I know. I usually get them custom made but someone just _had_ to tear the one I had and I'm not Fullbuster. I'm not gonna just walk around shirtless the rest of the day."

Lisanna blushed, looking down at her feet. It was obvious Laxus had forgiven her, even if he hadn't explicitly said it, but she still felt more than a little guilty.

"But still, green?"

Laxus smirked, throwing the shirt over his shoulder before turning around to move further into the store where they had last seen his bodyguards heading.

"Yeah, watch."

Lisanna moved in step behind him as he weaved through the stacks of clothes. She couldn't see where the other two had gone, but Laxus appeared to have an almost sixth sense as to where they were. Finally they rounded a corner, to see Freed stood on his own looking through t-shirts on a table before folding them neatly back up again. He seemed to know they were there without looking up and spoke to Laxus as he finished the last shirt.

"Have you managed to find some… what is that?"

Laxus had held the shirt over the front of himself, and Freed looked over at it in disgust. Laxus just grinned, and it looked almost predatory.

"What's the matter, Freed? I thought we could match."

Freed turned the brightest red Lisanna had ever seen and spluttered out the start of a few words before Laxus clapped him on the back and headed to pay.

"Relax, Justine. It's just for today anyway then I'm gonna burn the thing."

Freed stared at the floor as he desperately tried to lower the blush he could still feel burning his cheeks while Lisanna looked around the store to try and spot the one guy that should stick out like a sore thumb.

"Hey, Freed, where's Bickslow gone?"

Freed smiled a little, not knowing if she had asked out of curiosity or to try and take the subject off his embarrassment. He was grateful either way.

"You know… I have no idea. He just… up and takes off sometimes. I was trying to get some more functional clothes for him if you wanted to help?"

Lisanna looked over at the man, her brain beginning to whirl. She'd seen what was underneath the clothes that Bickslow wore, and suddenly she was thinking of clothing that would better show off his assets. She nodded quickly and a grin spread across Freed's face. Something told her that Bickslow hadn't actually agreed to this.

"Has he left you some money?"

Freed shrugged, starting to head further into the menswear department and suddenly Lisanna knew that whatever she said he was going to be doing it anyway.

"No, but he'll pay me back."

"You know full well he won't."

Laxus appeared out of nowhere, making Lisanna jump. He'd thrown on the shirt, which was pulling at the buttons over his chest, and skulked behind Freed as he started picking up jeans. The rune mage just sighed but didn't stop.

"Yeah, I know. But it's a small price to pay for revenge, right?"

* * *

They didn't get much, in the end. Just a few different coloured tank tops and some sweatpants for training, some jeans that Lisanna mentioned Bickslow's arse would look great in and Freed moaned he didn't even want to think about and some spare clothes for Lisanna that Freed insisted on buying so she didn't have to steal his shirts anymore.

They had dropped the bags back at Freed's flat before heading to the guildhall. Lisanna had to admit it was nice to be in a group where everyone could fly, it was so much quicker than when she had to carry someone or they were relegated to the floor. She was told that she wasn't needed to work that day, and the hall was uncharacteristically quiet so she ended up following Freed down into the library of the guild and curling up with a book while he worked on his runes.

"What you reading?"

She hadn't even heard him come in, but there he was, sitting on top of one of the bookshelves while the babies all floated around him aimlessly.

"Words"

He smirked at her, so she held the book up for him to read the title before placing in a bookmark and walking over to greet him. His babies all shrieked when they saw her, zooming over to bang into her and she patted each of them in turn as she stopped at the base of the shelves and looked up at where Bickslow was sat.

"Where have you been?"

Bickslow leant down, clenching and unclenching his hands to ask her to raise her arms. Grabbing onto her wrists he pulled her up to sit next to him, her feet scrabbling for purchase on the shelves as he spun her to sit next to him and forced Freed to shake his head in exasperation.

"Doing stuff… and things… Hey, seeing as you're apparently training with us now, d'ya wanna jump me? I mean… jump WITH me."

Lisanna giggled slightly, not even having the chance to open her mouth and respond before Bickslow jumped off the bookshelf, pulling her down behind him until she landed heavily and ungracefully on the floor.

"Great, come on. I wanna get there before it gets dark."

Lisanna was nearly toppled over as Bickslow tugged on her wrist, starting to sprint towards the exit of the guild as his babies all started chittering amongst themselves as they flew excitedly around them. Her brain started flipping through all of the possibilities of where they were going, Bickslow had suggested they were going training and apparently even Freed didn't know what he did.

As soon as they cleared the building, Bickslow leapt into the air, landing with perfect precision on the totems as they flew away. Lisanna followed suit, stepping onto a low wall and running along it to launch herself into the open space as she slipped seamlessly into her bird soul to catch up. It was a leisurely flight, Bickslow almost seeming to fly slowly compared to normal. She didn't mind, really, it made it easier to keep up with the sporadic twists and turns the babies took, but at the same time it worried her a little. If he was taking it easy on her, wherever they were going was going to be a challenge.

After about an hour, her wings were just starting to ache from the flight when she noticed a clearing in the trees that they had been flying over. It was a strange sensation, she didn't know how she had missed it, really. There had been trees as far as she could see, even with the enhanced vision of her bird soul, and then suddenly there weren't. There was a huge open field, that was actually wider than it looked initially because the massive trees at the edge of the clearing branched out at the top to cover the ground with shadows, almost forming a dome over the field. She hadn't even realised that she stopped flying to gape around at the conglomeration of equipment that was scattered around in the grass, not to mention the wonder of the way the trees were covering things.

"Babe?"

Lisanna squeaked and jumped a little higher in the air, blushing as she looked around to see where Bickslow had called to her from. How had she been so absorbed with sightseeing that she'd lost him too? Finally, her eyes locked onto the Sieth mage standing on his totems a few yards below her. She'd missed him at first because he'd been in the shadows cast by the nearest trees. Angling her body slightly, she stilled her wings, allowing herself to drift down to meet him. As she drew near the babies dropped further, flying in a lazy spiral until they deposited the man on the ground. As soon as her feet touched the ground, Lisanna released her bird soul, dropping her arms to her sides and shaking them out as she looked around. From the ground, it was even more intimidating.

Directly in front of them rose several boulders that were so large Lisanna had to crane her head back to peer up at the top. She remembered seeing a few things on top of them as she'd come down, but couldn't tell exactly what the metal that the sun had been glinting off of was. Lisanna glanced over at Bickslow, noticing a sort of tension in the way he was standing as if he was nervous about showing this to her. She looked away quickly, her mind racing at the implications of him revealing to her such a huge thing that he'd kept from everyone else. Trying to ease the tension, she gestured at the nearest rock.

"Can I?"

Bickslow nodded very slightly, and Lisanna realised he was too nervous to even speak, Pippi and Poppo hiding underneath his cape as the other three peeked out from behind him, picking up on their owner's mood and hiding as well. Lisanna sprinted up to the wall, pulling herself up onto a boulder and testing the wall underneath her hands. It was solid and obviously natural and not magically made. She grabbed a couple of the hand holds and started to hoist herself up. She could fly, sure, but she guessed that wasn't the point. Transforming into bare feet she used her toes to grip onto some of the holes in the rocks and pushed herself up further.

She was about halfway up the cliff face when she noticed one of the totems start to float in front of her, and she looked down to see Bickslow just below her. She didn't know when he had started to climb, but he had caught up with her quickly. She put more effort into scaling the rocks in front of her, arms starting to protest as she pulled up her weight. The totems periodically gave her encouragement, and she smiled as she finally pulled herself over the edge of the cliff and rolled onto the grass. As soon as she was there she felt her jaw drop in awe. She didn't know how Bickslow kept this a secret, but it sure was impressive.

* * *

 **A/N - As always, I send the biggest thank you to Gajeelswoman for being the bestest friend ever and helping me out whenever I have writer's block. We're currently writing a collaboration which is being released on both of our profiles, so check it out if you haven't already!**


	36. Chapter 36

Lisanna stood in the knee high grass on top of the wall she'd just climbed, her mouth still gaping open. She felt Bickslow's finger tap under her chin and closed it with an audible snap, turning wide eyes to stare at his face for a moment before looking back at his training course. But of course Bickslow would have an obstacle course to train on. Lifting weights to train? Too boring. Fighting equipment? Why? The babies kept him long range, for the most part. The biggest thing that made Bickslow well, Bickslow was his acrobatics. Well, that and the babies. Lisanna could see this being an exercise for them too, if she thought about it.

Stretched out before them was an assortment of obstacles and walls. Here a twenty foot long bar with rings hanging at four foot intervals. Of course this bar was hung between two posts over a straight drop between the boulder she was on and the next chunk of rock that was jutting out of the ground. Immediately following the landing from this section was another gap, but she couldn't tell what was there as it seemed to lead to a drop off. The next boulder after that had what looked like two sheer walls that shot straight into the sky. They looked to be placed about five feet apart, and there weren't any grips that Lisanna could see from here. At the top of the column these walls made there was a sort of tunnel leading away, another set of walls that stretched further than she could see from here.

"So… this is what you do to train?"

She felt Bickslow wrap his arms around her waist, pulling her in close as the babies all headed off to fly around some of the obstacles in front of them.

"Solo training, yeah."

Lisanna leant back into him, still eyeing up the first obstruction in front of her. The rings were wide apart even for Bickslow, and she didn't think she would even have a chance to get across them. Maybe if she used her bird soul, but then again that would prevent her from using her hands.

"Why haven't you told Freed about it?"

She felt him shrug, before pressing his lips to her scalp and pulling away from her. Turning around she watched him strip out of his mask, cape and wrap leaving him in his shirt and trousers.

"It's nice to have some secrets, sometimes. Freed knows everything else about me, but sometimes I just need to get away and this is where I come. Great for relieving stress."

Lisanna watched him as he started to stretch, before making up her mind and sprinting forward and taking a leap.

Bickslow's heart nearly stopped when he turned around to see Lisanna halfway across his gymnast rings. She had done well, using momentum to swing herself one arm over the other as she made her way across the ravine, but she had slowed down far too much. At that speed she had no chance at making it to the other side. He watched almost in slow motion as she swung her left hand forward, and her fingers missed the ring by a few millimetres. She grasped at it for a second before she swung back, trying to hold back onto the ring above her own head but it was too late. The momentum was lost, and so was her grip. Bickslow started to run forward as her fingers slipped and she disappeared over the edge of the mountain, pouring all of his magic into overwriting all the autonomy that his babies had and forcing them to follow her down. He skidded to the edge of the chasm, looking down to see Lisanna starting to fly up, colourful feathers adorning both of her arms. He let out a shaky breath that he didn't know he was holding, before she chuckled nervously.

"I think I miscalculated that one…"

Bickslow sighed, rolling his eyes as he stripped out of his shirt and took a couple of steps backwards.

"I don't think so if you were aiming to give me a heart attack you were spot on. Now, get over that side and for fuck's sake _wait for me this time_."

Lisanna blushed as his babies crowded around her, and she realised Bickslow had probably sent them to keep her safe. She watched as he took a running jump at the obstacle, missing the first ring as he nearly flew across them. He took the metal rings two at a time, letting go of one and using the momentum to fling himself forward until he grabbed hold of the next one. He had landed next to her at the other side in seconds, dusting off his hands on his trousers before standing up and facing her.

"That's getting a little too easy. I may have to dismantle it, then again it might be useful for you to train on."

Lisanna's mouth gaped open again. Bickslow was being deadly serious, and he wanted her to carry on training with him. She kept staring at him as he moved onto the next obstacle, deciding to watch him first.

Bickslow stretched all of his limbs out before jumping down the next drop and forcing Lisanna to walk to the edge of the cliff. He had dropped down onto a thin pole that was jammed into the rock about seven feet below. He had already grasped onto it with both of his hands, and was swinging back and forth until he could pull his legs up and hook them over the pole, pulling himself up so he could sit up on top of it. As soon as he was stable he twisted his arms to the side, grabbing a hold of the pole and slowly but surely raising his body until he was in a handstand. His body didn't even shake as he held himself there, and Lisanna realised that despite the serious mood he was in earlier his natural penchant to entertain was shining through. The totems all left her side, going to hang in the air around him as a precaution.

Even slower than before he lowered his legs again, bending his back as he brought his feet up to meet his hands until he was bent in half backwards. It looked painful, and Lisanna couldn't imagine ever being able to do it. Now his feet were on the bar she could see that it was only a couple of inches across, and his feet overhung either side. With a wicked speed that was made even faster by the contrast to his previous leisurely pace he stood himself up to stretch his arms above his head, and turned around to look her in the eye before he bent his legs and bounded into the air, flipping over backwards before landing on his feet again with a lightness that didn't seem right for someone of his size. He stretched out again, pausing for a moment to wink at her before jumping into the air, flipping forwards to land on his hands and spinning around to walk across the rest of the pole on his hands.

It looked like he had given up with his acrobatics, until a few feet away from the end of the pole he listed to the side, allowing himself to fall until he was dangling underneath the pole again. He shimmied back along the pole for a while, before he pulled himself so his body was parallel to the pole, back to the ground as he held his arms fully extended. The amount of strength that must have been required was phenomenal, and Lisanna found herself enraptured by what he was doing. Finally he pulled his knees up to his chest, slipping them between the bar and his body and allowing them to fall down over his head, twisting both of his arms behind his back as he pointed his feet towards the ground. Lisanna could see the sweat starting to bead on his skin, and was glad that this was actually affecting him and he wasn't as untouchable as he portrayed himself to be. Before she could start to speak he pulled his body back up, allowing the metal to hit the back of his knees and hooking them over.

He tensed his abs, pulling himself so he could sit back up onto the pole and spinning around so he rested on top, repeating his first moves as he pushed up into a handstand again and bending backwards to put his feet back down and stand up straight again, shooting another wink at her.

Lisanna watched as Bickslow walked the last couple of inches back to solid land backwards, jumping and doing a final flip from the ground to top it off. She started to clap as he started to take a bow, all of the totems whistling as they congratulated him. Bickslow jumped onto Pappa and Peppe, drifting up to her level again and watching her in anticipation. Lisanna looked back in confusion, until it slowly dawned on her what he was expecting her to do.

"Do I have to do that whole thing?"

Bickslow chuckled, crossing his arms firmly over his chest as he watched her. He was still in one of the most serious moods she had ever seen him in, looking down at her with dark red eyes that weren't even slightly close to transforming. This was obviously his domain, and where he was most in control. He shook his head, flying closer to her and hovering behind her so he didn't need to shout.

"Nope, we'll start you off just running across the pole. That's hard enough as it is. It might be worth keeping your wings out, as well."

Lisanna nodded, spreading out her wings and stepping off the edge of the cliff to allow herself to float slowly down onto the pole below. The metal was cold against her feet, and she nearly jumped before she started to waver and held out her wings to try and get her balance again.

"Move. If you keep moving you keep your balance easier."

Lisanna nodded, taking a deep breath before she started to put one foot in front of the other. She wasn't scared of falling because of the height, her wings would catch her before her head had even passed the pole, but she was terrified of disappointing Bickslow. As soon as her left foot was steady she brought her right around, then her left again until she had built up speed. She was over at the other end of the pole within seconds, and Bickslow began to clap as he landed in front of her and turned to look at the next obstacle.

"You need momentum for this one too. You stop, and you're done. I usually take it straight from the balance bar, but I guess it isn't working like that today."

He walked backwards until his foot was in line with the edge of the cliff, and sprinted forward until he jumped and kicked out his feet until they slammed into either side of the sheer walls. He bounced from one leg to the other for a while, before he lost the momentum he was using after a few feet and had to reach out his arms to run with those too, moving like a spider as he gained height too. She watched until he got to the end, grabbing the edge of the tunnel and pulling himself up into it before he crushed himself incredibly small and wriggled inside, his totems following after.

Lisanna sighed, knowing that she didn't have a chance with this obstacle. This entire course was set up for Bickslow, and the walls were far too wide apart for her to make any headway with it. It looked like he had stopped watching her anyway, so she simply jumped into the air, flapping her wings so she could make it up to the tunnel, before transforming back into her human form so she could use her hands to hang from it freely. Taking a deep breath she pulled herself up, slipping herself into the tunnel and starting to use her legs to push her through it.

The weight of the walls started crushing down on her almost immediately. She had always hated small spaces, and she tried to take deep breaths to calm herself down but it wasn't working. It was a tight squeeze even for her, and she couldn't even begin to imagine how Bickslow managed to pull himself through it. The tunnel stretched for what seemed like miles in front of her, and even worse it wasn't even straight which prevented her from seeing the end. With no light streaming in from the other end, and her own body blocking any sunshine from behind her it was almost pitch black, and even with her cat eyes she could only just see where the tunnel bent upwards. She closed her eyes as she wriggled forward, pretending she was anywhere but there, and soon her fingers brushed the edge of the tunnel wall and she had to open her eyes to pull herself up. She expected to see at least a little light at the end of the tunnel, but was disappointed when it simply bent to the right.

She was completely hyperventilating by the time she had gone through three right turns, two left and down twice. At least this time she could see a small amount of light, even though it was still depressingly far off. She tried to bargain with herself. Just that little bit further, then she would be out. But it didn't work. Whether it was the lack of oxygen in the pipe, the amount of exercise she had been doing to pull herself through it or her mind simply telling her that she absolutely did not like it in here but she completely lost use of her arms as the black spots started to appear in her vision.


	37. Chapter 37

Lisanna came to as strong hands wrapped around her wrists, pulling her arms above her head and allowing her body to slide out of the tube she was in. She kept her eyes clenched closed, trying desperately hard to forget where she was before she felt the sun beat down on her skin and she knew she was outside. Bickslow pulled her up onto his lap, cradling her head to his bare chest before slowly stroking her hair. All of his totems squealed as they bumped into her body, but Bickslow shooed them away.

"Cut it out, guys. Give her some space."

Lisanna heard the totems whine, but they stopped hitting her and she slowly opened her eyes to see Bickslow with his own eyes clenched shut. Lisanna heard his accelerated breath and realised he himself was scared as she cursed under her breath. Bickslow's fingers made their way across her face, feeling her eyes were open and smiling weakly as he creaked his eyes open slowly.

"Why did you go in there if you were claustrophobic? Your soul is going insane right now."

Lisanna sighed, stretching out all of her limbs and appreciating the way she could push them to their full extent. She wriggled her fingers, before wrapping her arms up and around his neck.

"I didn't think it would be that long. Or that tight. I thought that if it was you it would be a lot bigger."

Bickslow smiled, grabbing a hold of Lisanna's shoulders and pulling himself backwards until she landed on top of him.

"That's actually the smallest space that Freed can get through, smaller than the smallest gap Evergreen can get through."

Lisanna looked at him in confusion, wriggling around until she straddled his waist. He tugged on the back of her head, forcing it down onto his collarbone and she smiled as she felt all five of the babies land on her back.

"Why is that? Why do you have to make it that small?"

Bickslow froze, and somehow Lisanna knew that he wasn't going to give her a proper answer. She wasn't worried, though. He was entitled to his secrets, he could tell her in time when he was more comfortable.

"Can't have them going through small holes on jobs and not letting me have any fun, can I?"

Lisanna smiled, slowly raising her head so she could look at him. His head had rested back onto the floor, smiling slightly as his eyes were closed against the sunlight as it filtered through the trees. She started to look around the area they were in, she assumed it was up on one of the cliffs and under a roof of trees. Directly in front of them was what looked like another obstacle course heading off into the forest, but in the clearing, she could see a large mat where Bickslow could do some more acrobatics on the floor, along with some uneven bars on the other side. He hadn't noticed her looking, and the totems were still flat on her back so she forced herself t ask the question.

"How did you get all of this stuff up here?"

Bickslow grinned, and finally, his totems lifted into the air and started to fly into the forest to play.

"It's pretty simple when you can possess things to fly up here by themselves. I'll bring you along next time I change the obstacle course around, yeah? We'll put in some easier things for you."

Lisanna smiled as Bickslow slowly slid his hands down to her waist. She could feel her heartbeat had returned to normal, and it was obvious he had been able to see her soul calm as she did. His mouth shot up to hers, beginning to kiss her deeply as he pulled her down onto him.

They kissed for a while like that, until Bickslow rolled the both of them over until he was on top of her. He pulled his mouth away from hers, moving it down to her collarbone and kissing it gently before he mumbled into her skin.

"I'm gonna make sure the totems don't come anywhere near here, okay?"

Lisanna knew exactly what he was getting at, as she wrapped her legs up and over his waist and he ground into her. She nodded slightly, and Bickslow pulled away for a second before his eyes darted around the forest around them. He dropped her lips back down to hers, before mumbling into her mouth.

"I have something else to show you later. But right now, I have something that I need to do with you."

Bickslow leant on his right hand, letting his left make it's way down her waist until it toyed with the hem of Freed's shirt that she was wearing, pulling it up before she squealed when her back hit the cold ground. Bickslow laughed, rolling them both over until she straddled his hips, not worried about the grass that tickled his skin. He pushed the bottom of the shirt up until it rested on the top of her hips, and started to tug at her pants before whining into her mouth that he was in the way of pulling them entirely off. Lisanna giggled, sitting herself up slightly so she could speak.

"I could transform out of them, Bickslow, but we still have to get your trousers off."

Bickslow whined again before he tried to pull her up to wriggle out of his trousers slightly. As soon as his cock was freed from its confines Lisanna bit her lower lip in anticipation before she transformed fully out of her clothes. Bickslow groaned at finally getting to see her naked and lined himself up so she could lower herself down onto him.

Bickslow's back arched as he entered her, moving his hands to grab onto her hips as she paused for a second to adjust to him. His fingers dug into her skin as she raised herself up, resting her hands on her abs to balance herself as she started to move. Bickslow moaned as he felt her move around him, clenching his eyes shut before doubling his protection and moving one arm to throw across his eyes. Lisanna noticed Bickslow hide his eyes from her, and closed her eyes to help him out. Bending her elbows she lowered herself down and trailed her lips across his face until she found his, starting to kiss him. His left arm wrapped around her back, palm resting on her spine as he started to set her pace. She let him, adjusting to the speed his hand as she moved her hips faster.

He panted heavily into her mouth, grabbing the back of her head and pulled it over to bury it into his neck. He arched his back when he felt her orgasm on top of her, opening his eyes and looking up into the sky. He could see his magic shining brightly on the bottom of the leaves, and hoped beyond hope that she didn't move up to look at him. He didn't have a chance at reigning it in right now. He moved both of his hands to her hips, starting to drive up into her when she slowed and hearing her squeak into his neck. She figured out that he had uncovered his eyes and made sure to keep hers hidden in his neck. She screamed aloud as he grunted her name, stiffening up underneath her and she knew that he had finished.

She sighed contentedly as they both struggled to catch their breaths, Bickslow worming his arms around her back to hold her close. She kissed at his skin, not wanting to move her head up just yet in case his eyes were still playing up and moved her hands up to move in his hair. Bickslow kissed the top of her scalp, still swimming in bliss.

"I love you, Lisanna."

* * *

 **A little shorter than normal due to cosplay crunch time and Raijinshuu appreciation week falling at the same time - I'm sorry! See you next week!**


	38. Chapter 38

Lisanna shot up from where she was lying on Bicklow's chest, twisting around to look down at him. He looked so peaceful, despite the complete chaos he had just started in her brain. What had he just said?

"Wh-what?!"

Bickslow cracked his eyes open slowly, making sure that his magic was in check before he looked at her. Her eyes were blown wide, staring into his as he rubbed his left hand over her lower back.

"I said I loved you, Lissy."

She was dressed within seconds, feathers sprouting from her arms before she stood up and started to sprint towards the edge of the cliff they were perched on. Bickslow was left in confusion as he watched her shape get smaller over the edge of the trees. Had he said something… wrong? It was a few seconds before he had pulled his brain together enough to realise what was going on and he struggled to pull on his trousers before calling out to his babies. His mind was all over the place as he tried to pull them back.

"Guys. GUYS! Come on! We need to go, like, now."

He didn't even bother getting the rest of his clothes as the closest two of his babies found him and he jumped on top of them before waiting for the others to catch up. But it wasn't enough, Lisanna was still too far away for him to see where she had gone. Fuck. Well, he knew someone who could help with that.

Freed was sat in his office working on his runes when Bickslow came stumbling into the apartment and shouted his name.

"Freed! I think I fucked it all up!"

Freed dropped his head down onto the desk, sighing at the screaming voice of his friend as he was _sure_ the Sieth had come in through the window again. He was about to shout back when he felt the slam against his magic energy as Bickslow smashed into the runes around his office. Huh. He really was in a serious mood to do that.

The runes around his office would take too long to dispel so he simply stood up from his desk, adjusted a few pieces of paper to head out into their communal living area. Bickslow was at the door, wide eyed and disheveled without his usual mask or a shirt, instead panting with his hands on his knees as his babies wailed around him. Freed had a horrible sinking feeling that something had gone terribly wrong.

"Freed. Thank fuck. I need your tracking runes."

Freed tried to guide Bickslow down to the sofa but the man kept hammering against the runes that separated Bickslow from the notebooks where Freed kept magic capable of tracking down anyone in the guild, and quite a few others outside. Only a very select few people knew about them, not even Mira was aware of the pages upon pages capable of telling Freed every single movement of a person with a single activation spell. It had to be serious if Bickslow wanted to use them. Every time Bickslow's fists connected with runes Freed felt a sharp tug on his magic as he tried to keep the runes in place. The Sieth really was going all out. He placed his hand gently on the taller man's shoulder, feeling the burning heat of his skin as he did.

"Bicks… what happened?"

Bickslow dropped his head against the runes, giving Freed a sweet respite to the previous assault on his energy reserves before he sighed and spoke.

"Well I went training with Lissy, then we fucked…" even if Bickslow had been able to see the distaste on Freed's face he would have pretended he couldn't, "and then I told her I loved her and she just… took off!"

Freed spluttered as Bickslow's babies all wailed louder and louder in despair as they flew randomly around the apartment. The rune mage looked at his friend incredulously while desperately trying not to laugh.

"You… told her you loved her?"

Bickslow just nodded, hands stretched above his head as they splayed across the shimmering runes in the doorway.

"How long have you been together now, Bickslow?"

The Sieth sighed heavily, before groaning loudly and having his babies all repeat him in turn.

"I don't know? Do I look like someone keeps track of these things?"

Freed groaned, leaning his back against the wall of runes and relishing in the way he could, for once, actually look down on his friend.

"It can't be anything more than three days. She probably got a little spooked that you just flat out told her you were in love with her after three days."

Bickslow finally turned his head slightly, realised how much shorter than Freed he now was and straightened himself up to mirror the Rune Mage's pose and look down his nose at him.

"But I _am_ in love with her. I thought girls loved that soppy shit! Have you told Mira you love her yet?"

Freed scoffed, crossing his arms and adjusting his cravat slightly so it sat better on his neck.

"No, I haven't. It's not that kind of…"

"Well then, you need to tell her."

Bickslow pushed off the wall and headed towards Freed's room. The Rune Mage looked on in confusion for a second, before he realised that Bickslow was heading towards his lacrima. Freed ran through the open doorway into his room, watching Bickslow fiddling with his lacrima to try and get it to work. Freed slammed the door shut before the babies could join them, well aware that he had his odds stacked against him as it was.

"Bickslow! Just cause you fucked up your relationship doesn't mean I am going to fuck up mine to make you feel better."

He was completely ignored as the other man continued to try and get the lacrima to work. Freed had put a very specific rune on it so it would only call when it had been unlocked with _his_ hand. Believe it or not, he had been anticipating Bickslow to do something with it. As he stood there watching the Sieth struggle, the taller man whirled, shoving the lacrima into his hand.

"Make it work! How do you turn it on? CALL HER!"

Freed paled, closing his fingers around the object before throwing it towards the pillows on his bed. He really didn't know what would happen if he said those words to Mirajane at this point in their relationship. Especially if she found out he was saying something because Bickslow was forcing him. She would assume it was a lie and then where would he be? He didn't have much longer to think about it, since Bickslow lurched after the lacrima.

The Sieth rolled onto his back, jabbing at the lacrima for a few times before sighing and letting it roll onto the bed next to him. Freed smirked, turning around to head back to the kitchen and make something for the both of them. He managed to take a couple of steps before he felt arms around his neck and he was pulled back onto the bed.

His eyes closed instinctively. He had been in far too many fights with Bickslow to ever consider going into one with any possibility of the two of them making eye contact. Bickslow tried to flip the two of them over to Freed was lying on his front, but the rune mage struggled against him. A few punches to his side that he knew Bickslow didn't put his full weight into and he was struggling to try and grab anything of the Sieth mage's. Usually it was easy, the Sieth wore so many clothes there was always some form of fabric to clasp a hold of, and Freed was immune to the runes that usually stopped enemies from getting too strong of a grip. But now Bickslow was only wearing his trousers and Freed's fingertips were simply slipping on bare skin.

Bickslow's fingertips clawed their way up his arm, grabbing a hold of his hand and forcing it open. Annoyingly for Freed, the Sieth could be a lot more intelligent than he let on when the rune mage felt the cool surface of the lacrima press into his palm and the magic orb activating.

"Ah ha! I thought as much!"

Freed tried desperately to move his other arm in order to snatch the lacrima out, but Bickslow moved his leg in an almost impossible fashion to pin it his side. He tried to open his palm to drop the lacrima onto the bed and break the connection, but Bickslow was crushing their fingers against it. The Sieth called underneath him, and it almost vibrated his bones.

"Call Mira!"

The lacrima activated and Freed watched in horror as it sent out communication magic to try and contact his girlfriend.

"Wait no! Don't call Mira!"

The lacrima blinked slightly, the magic not quite understanding what it was being told. Freed felt Bickslow's hand move until it was clamped over his mouth and bit down, but Bickslow didn't flinch.

"Hush, Freed. Lacrima, please call Mira."

Freed was torn between fear and resignation. He was fucked.


	39. Chapter 39

"So, you're telling me he told you he loved you, and then you panicked and flew away?"

Mira was watching her sister out of the corner of her eye as the younger girl sat on the kitchen counter, drumming a rhythm into the cupboard beneath her with her heels. She had been surprised, to say the least, that Lisanna had come to her with Bickslow problems after the arguments they had had over the last few days. Lisanna simply nodded, biting her nails as she did.

"I don't know, Mira. It was all so sudden. I didn't know what to do."

Mira smiled as she continued to chop the onion in front of her. She still wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea of Bickslow dating her little sister, but she needed to give Lisanna all the advice she would need to make sure at least she was happy.

"Well, do you love him?"

Lisanna kept biting at her nails, thinking to herself for a moment as Mira tipped the onion into her pan and grabbed some carrots next, resisting the urge to hum as she worked. She watched Lisanna mulled over the question in her head.

Lisanna herself was thinking through what she _actually_ thought of Bickslow. She liked him, that was for sure. But being torn away from your family twice kind of… reduced the emotions you could feel towards others. It had hurt enough being torn away from two people she loved, what about three?

"I… don't know. It's all very soon. I think he's very good looking, and he's sweet and funny but… I don't think I love him. In time, maybe, but not yet."

The carrots joined the onions in the bowl and Mira moved them around quickly as they heated up before grabbing some celery to add to the mix.

"Well then, you need to tell him that. If you want this relationship to continue the way this is you need to be open about it. He wears his heart on his sleeves, he tells you everything, maybe you need to do the same in return."

Lisanna sighed, dragging her hands over her face and looking down at the floor.

"But I really do care for him, Mira. I don't want to hurt him like that."

Mira scoffed, fiddling with the heat on the stove to make sure it was at the perfect temperature before moving over to embrace Lisanna in a hug. The younger girl didn't struggle, melting into Mira's arms like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"And you don't think just… running away when he told you he loved you hurt him?"

Mira bit back a snort at the groan from her little sister.

"Fuck… I didn't even think about that. I just.. Left."

Mira smiled into her sister's shoulder, before pulling away to look her in the eye. She wasn't crying. Good.

"Well then in my honest opinion I think you should go and talk to him. He's probably pretty panicked right now, if what Freed says about him is true."

Lisanna was about to interject, to ask just what Freed had been saying about Bickslow behind both of their backs but Mira continued.

"You can't do it here though, Elfman and Evergreen have claimed the house for tonight. And I'm taking this over to Freed for date night and, believe me, you do not wanna be in the same apartment as us tonight."

Lisanna twisted her face in disgust at what Mira was saying, about to open her mouth to complain before Mira brandished a wooden spoon at her that she had picked up from the side and head back over to the stove.

"Nope. I walked in on you and Bickslow actually fucking yesterday, and last night your other half frightened Freed to teleport away _while he was inside of me_. So you can deal with the knowledge that both of your siblings actually have sex occasionally."

Lisanna stuck her tongue out despite what Mira was saying, but before she could say anything she was interrupted again, but this time by the unnatural ringing of the lacrima on the kitchen table. Mira sighed, reaching over to turn it on and meaning to turn back to the oven before the image in it forced her to stop and stare.

Bickslow and Freed were lying in a tangle of limbs, Bickslow definitely shirtless but she was unsure what else he was wearing outside of the frame. Freed was lying on top of him, one arm pinned down against his chest as the other extended up towards the lacrima, obviously being controlled by the taller man.

Freed was blushing, along with a grimace plastered all over his face whereas Bickslow was laughing, obviously not as put out by the problem with Lisanna earlier as Mira thought he would be. When he saw Mira fill the screen his tongue lolled out, and she watched as Freed squirmed to get away from it before it touched his cheek.

"Hey, Mirajane! Freed has something that he wants to tell you!"

Bickslow's voice was full of mirth, and Mira watched as Freed tried desperately to slam his head backwards into the Sieth mage's face, but the other man was too fast in moving it out of the way before apparently biting onto Freed's ear. Freed yelped in pain, a loud sigh distorting through the lacrima.

"Bickslow, I'm not going to…"

Another bite to the ear had Freed yelping again, and Mira wondered why Freed didn't use some of his magic to get free of the other man.

"Mira. Bickslow is being a fucking pain in the… OW!" Something happened out of the lacrima's line of sight, but Freed flinched at whatever it was. "Bickslow says that I need to confess that I love you. And. I'm not just doing this because he's being a dick… Bickslow! Do you want me to say it or not? And I'm not just doing this because he's being a dickhead. I really do love you."

Mira smiled, a slight blush covering her face at what had just happened. It hadn't been the perfect fairy tale announcement she had been expecting, but it was special all the same.

"I love you too, Freed. Even if you are an idiot."

Bickslow started to whoop as Freed's face flushed bright red, and his tongue was well and truly out of his mouth now. Mira watched in fascination as his face went from elated to sombre in mere seconds, and he pulled the lacrima down, still in Freed's hand, so it was closer to his face.

"Lisanna. I know you're there, and I'm okay if you don't want to do this around these two idiots but we need to talk."

Lisanna blushed as Mira looked over to her, but didn't make a move to head into the frame of the lacrima. She wasn't ready to face him, not yet.

"I meant what I said. This thing is going at whatever pace you set because, fuck Lisanna I will wait for you forever if you needed me to. What I said doesn't just apply to the bedroom, we talk about this like adults, yeah? Can you meet me somewhere? The park where we took the babies the other day?"

Lisanna blushed heavier, but she really did need to grow up and treat this like an adult.

"Yeah."

She saw Bickslow smile over Mira's shoulder and despite herself she felt a warmth spread throughout her chest. That was a smile just for her, it didn't matter that there were other people in the room, it was _her smile_.

"Okay. I'll see you in half an hour."

The lacrima screen cut out, leaving it empty as Mira turned back around to look at her sister. Said sister was bright red, mind working faster than it ever had before to try and work out just what she was going to do.

"Shit."

* * *

When Lisanna got to the park Bickslow was parallel to the ground as he swung impossibly high on one of the swings. She chuckled to herself as she watched him, certain that after awhile he would be going up and over the bar completely. The babies were weirdly calmer than she would expect, just hovering in the air around him and she wondered whether they were betraying his true emotional state.

She watched as he got higher and higher, still not quite reaching his goal of flipping over the bar completely. His legs moved smoothly back and forth and she could see his muscles tense under his clothes but to no avail. Suddenly all his totems dropped to the floor, as simultaneously the swing tipped and threw Bickslow unceremoniously onto the floor. The chains both rattled and flew in random directions now they were devoid of Bickslow's weight, as the man in question lay sprawled on the floor, groaning in pain as he began to speak.

"Guys, I know you're only trying to cheer me up, but moving into the swing like that all at once really isn't… helping…"

His voice trailed off as he looked up, mask turned her way and she could feel they were making eye contact through the slots.

"Oh. Hey, Lissy."

Her face heated up a little and she smiled sheepishly at him, reaching up to tuck some hair behind her ear. The totems shot into the air again, shrieking and whistling as they surrounded Lisanna, bumping into her and nudging her closer to their owner.

"Hey, Bicks. You alright?"

The Sieth grinned, his tongue falling out of his mouth as he laughed, pushing himself off the ground. He held himself parallel for a moment before pulling his knees up to his chest and rising to his feet in one smooth motion. Bickslow dusted his hands down the front of his clothes before looking back at her, as if he was trying to make himself presentable. His totems all giggled, one coming to settle on Lisanna's head and without even looking she just knew it was Pippi.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Shit, I've _intentionally_ fallen from higher, been slammed into the ground by Laxus from higher. Freed made me think I fell off a cliff one time. I didn't actually even hit the ground that time, somehow, but it hurt like hell anyway…"

He trailed off, chuckling nervously as he realized he'd been rambling.

"Look, Bickslow…"

Within seconds he had closed the gap between them, sweeping her up into his arms and interrupting her with a kiss. His mask banged against her forehead but she didn't care, hands finding their way up to his waist as the babies all wolf whistled but generally left them alone.

When Bickslow pulled away he was panting, breathless from the force of the kiss.

"Lissy. We don't have to talk about it here, now, if you don't want to. But I meant what I said. We'll take this as fast or as slow as you want to go. Just… please tell me if I overstep the mark instead of just fucking running… you… you scared me."

Lisanna could do nothing but stare at his shoulded. Guilt churned in her stomach, and she bit her lip to try and stop the tears from flowing. She hadn't meant to hurt him, but the hurt in his voice was apparent.

"Lissy…"

She hadn't felt any tears break free of her eyes, but realised slowly that Bickslow could probably see her emotions in her soul. As soon as she figured out it was useless to try and keep her emotions in check the tears began to flow easily. He pulled her into his chest instantaneously, clasp of his cape pressing hard into her cheek but she didn't care. The babies all whined as if they were in pain, and Bickslow pressed his mouth to her scalp.

"I'm not very good when people cry. You think I would be, right? The amount of times I cry and the whole soul thing."

Lisanna chuckled but it came out distorted by her tears.

"I didn't mean to scare you, Bicks. I panicked and I ran."

Bickslow chuckled, and held her a little closer, a little firmer than before.

"Believe me, honey, I know that feeling."

Bickslow's lips started to shift against her hair, and she felt vibrations move through her skull as he started to sing.

"Some nights I stay up, cashing in my bad luck…"

Well, it wasn't really singing. He more mumbled the words against her scalp in what could barely be called a tune. His babies all hummed around her, each of them either slightly too high or too low so it didn't quite gel together properly. He sang slowly, methodically as if he was trying to hold the tune as much as he could.

It wasn't until he got to the end of the song that he pulled away slightly, taking hold of her hands from where they were trapped between the two of them and holding them in his for a second.

"Lissy… I told you I had something to show you earlier. Do you still want to come and look with me?"

Lisanna nodded her head slightly, smiling up at him. He was ridiculous and the dorkiest person she had ever met, but maybe the feelings she felt inside of her could be described as love, eventually.


	40. Chapter 40

Bickslow led her into one of the rougher parts of town, one where Lisanna didn't spend much time if she could help it. She had been there on many jobs in the past, but not since Edolas. It looked nicer than she remembered though, like the last decade since she had been there had been kind to it, but that still didn't stop her wondering just why Bickslow had brought her there.

They had stopped at one of the small cafés on the way, picking up some chips wrapped in the old fashioned way with newspaper. They shared them as they walked along, just about finishing them before Bickslow stopped at an old apartment building and went inside.

It was more run down than the one she had spent the last couple of nights in, but it still looked homely. Residents had put their own doormats outside of the doors and hung little decorations on the handles which was much more than could be said about the apartment building Freed was living in. Finally Bickslow stopped at one of the plain doors, rummaging through one of the pockets that she now knew adorned the inside of his cape and pulled out a key to slot it into the hole.

The inside of the apartment was… tiny. A double bed was pushed into one corner, a small kitchenette built into the opposite and… that was it. She could see a door through to a tiny bathroom, but other than that there wasn't much else to take in apart from the assorted mess that had somehow already filled the room. She could feel Bickslow hover behind her, and she could sense from the way he was fidgeting that he was uncomfortable.

"I know it's not much, it's just when Freed wants the apartment but I'll probably still keep the room there so…"

Bickslow's voice trailed off but he didn't need to finish his sentence for Lisanna to know what he was saying. He needed to keep a room in Freed's apartment for when she wasn't there, for when he had his night terrors. She made her way over to the bed, the only place it looked like that she could actually sit down, and shimmied herself backwards so she rested her back against the wall. Bickslow made his way over slowly, but she simply looked down at her knees as she hugged them.

"I… I didn't mean to scare you, Bickslow. I'm sorry."

She heard the window open and close, obviously Bickslow had sent the babies away so they could talk in private, before she felt the bed dip next to her as the Sieth sat down. He didn't touch her at all, but just the knowledge that he was there helped a little.

"You don't need to apologise, Lissy. It was my fault for being… me I guess. I thought you women all liked hearing that sort of thing, and… well, it's the truth. Life's too short to be ambiguous, don't you think?"

He giggled slightly, but it didn't have any of the gusto that it usually had. Lisanna shook her head, still not raising her gaze to meet his eyes. He was wonderful, tying to take the blame onto himself, but he hadn't done anything wrong. She was just being selfish, running off on him instead of facing him like an adult. Hadn't he just told her all of the effort he put in to make sure his team couldn't ever abandon him? And the first thing she did… abandon him.

"Bickslow… I didn't mean to leave you. And believe me, I know how short life is."

She heard Bickslow swear under his breath, realising his bad choice of words too late.

"Lissy… will you look at me please?"

Lisanna felt a blush cover her cheeks, and the last thing that she wanted to do was face her fears. She would stay here, with him, of course but maybe it would be easier to talk like this. He must have noticed her hesitation because he started to speak quietly, nearly too quiet for her to hear him.

"It's okay, Lisanna. I have my mask on."

Lisanna's head shot up, looking into Bickslow's mask as he looked down at her. She shook her head, immediately realising how he had taken her words. Her head shook, and she crawled across the bed to straddle his lap.

"Oh no. No no no, Bickslow that's not what I meant."

The absence of his hands was the first thing that stuck in her mind as she shuffled closer to him. Usually by now he would be all over her, palms on her thighs and her back but _he's_ _not there_. She swallowed heavily as she brought her own fingers up and slowly fiddled with the clasp on his mask, giving him enough time to realise what she was doing and stop her if he needed to. She was just as slow as she lifted the mask off, settling it on the bed next to her as she stared into his eyes. They were a deep crimson, framed with beautifully long eyelashes as he stared back at her. Her fingers moved up again, tracing her fingertips over the edge of his tattoo where it perfectly blended with his skin.

"Bickslow…"

Her fingers moved down, sliding along his jaw before ghosting over his lips. She wanted to commit his face to memory, something she could see even when he hid it away.

"I'm not very good with words. I never have been, really. But. What I do know is actions speak louder than them."

She leaned forward slowly, closing her eyes as she pressed her lips against his. He stayed perfectly still for the longest amount of time before his mouth opened slightly, allowing her to deepen the kiss as he started to kiss her back. They kissed like that for a while before Bickslow's fingers ghosted up the back of her thighs and over her hips, one resting on her lower back while the other made its way up between her shoulder blades, fingers splaying wide as if he was trying to stop her from leaving, even though he knew that she wasn't going anywhere. Her own fingers wound in his hair, not necessarily pulling it hard but just enjoying the way the strands felt across her skin. It was slightly sticky, still full of gel where he had styled it earlier in the day but she didn't mind. It was a few minutes before Bickslow pressed forward, adjusting his legs so he lay on top of her and she squeezed his hips in between her thighs. His weight settled on top of her as he wriggled his arms free from underneath her to lean on his elbows either side of her head.

Bickslow pulled his mouth away finally, slowly peppering kisses all over her face and neck. There were no teeth this time, and she knew that no marks would be left and the last couple of days she would have been frustrated and begging for more but right now she was loving it. She arched her back as his lips moved across her shoulder before they encountered fabric and she immediately allowed the magic to flow through her body in order to get rid of her clothes and felt him smile against her collarbone.

Small feather-light kisses made their way all over her skin, down her stomach and across her thighs as she was left biting her bottom lip as her hands fisted in the sheets. Bickslow's weight shifted as he sat himself up on his knees, and she watched as he pulled his shirt up and over his head.

"Bicks, did you want me to…"

He shook his head before she could finish, smoothing a palm down the side of her waist before it rested on her hip.

"Just close your eyes, kitten."

This time was so much slower, more sensual than any other time they had had sex. Lisanna's legs found a natural place curled around Bickslow's hips as they kissed the whole way through. The green glow from his eyes was strangely comforting, despite her knowing just how dangerous the magic behind it was. Her hands wandered up and down his back, drawing lazy shapes on his skin before they both pulled away from the kiss as they climaxed simultaneously, panting their release rather than the screams they were used to.

Bickslow was the stillest she'd ever seen him, the steady rise and fall of his chest the only movement she could make out. His head was heavy against her stomach, his left hand resting lightly on her thigh as she scratched the shaved strips of his hair gently. He had been quiet for a while, and she had had some time to think.

"Bickslow?"

He groaned slightly, and Lisanna wondered whether he had been asleep until she had spoken. He still didn't move, just assuming his grunting was enough for her to continue.

"What does love mean to you?"

Bickslow took a deep breath, and went so quiet that Lisanna assumed that he wasn't going to answer until he turned his head and kissed her stomach before speaking.

"Well, there was the utter panic when you left. I only really get that with Laxus and Freed. And, you know, sometimes Evergreen if she's really mad."

He laughed a little and it vibrated over her skin. She stroked up his cheek where she could reach, before her fingers returned to his hair.

"That was after you said you loved me, Bickslow. What about before."

He chuckled again, shaking his head slightly and Lisanna had to make sure she didn't tug his hair too hard where it knotted together.

"Oh, right. Well, it's not like I hadn't thought of you just leaving before. But anyway, love is the person that you keep going for. The person that keeps you grounded when all you've ever wanted to do is flee. It's someone who see's how fucking broken you are and still sticks around. Someone who looks past my tattoo, and my eyes, and my magic and see's Bickslow. Someone who wants to stay with a freak who has no control over any aspect of his life."

Lisanna was left staring at the top of his head, not really expecting him to be so… profound about it.

"When have you had time to think about that!? It's been…" Lisanna thought to herself. Right now, in this moment she wasn't able to imagine life _without_ Bickslow, but logic won through in the end. "Holy fuck, has it only been three days!?"

Bickslow nodded almost imperceivably, and Lisanna knew that if she didn't have her hand on his head she would never have noticed.

"I've been in love before you, Lisanna. Not romantically but still in love. I love Laxus. I love Freed. I guess deep down I love Evergreen too. And I have loved my babies for longer than I can remember. And, I guess… I've loved you for longer than three days, too, I just didn't realise that's what it was."

And that was what hit her. Maybe the dull ache in her chest was because she was in love with him. Maybe that's what he meant. Well, there was no time like the present.

"Hey, Bicks?"

Bickslow grunted again, a stark contrast to how he had been talking over the last few minutes.

"I kinda think I'm in love with you too."

She could almost feel the smile break across his face, and he was much louder than he had been.

"Oh, I know. I saw it in your soul the morning I woke up with you in my bed. Why do you think I was so surprised when you left?"

Lisanna looked down at him, mouth hanging open as she stared down at him. He had known… all that time? And he hadn't bothered to tell her.

"... I hate you."

She felt another chuckle as his breath danced across her skin. His hand started to trace lazy shapes across her thigh and she responded by moving her hand through his hair more forcefully.

"Nah, you don't. I'd see it in your soul."

Lisanna sighed, moving her hand down to rub it over his shoulder blade slowly.

"You're lucky you're cute, you know that right?"

Lisanna's breathing slowed, and deepened, and a quick glance at her soul told Bickslow she was asleep. He groaned, slowly sitting himself up and rubbing a hand over his face. He couldn't go to sleep. Couldn't risk it after what he had done to her the night before. Not that it mattered too much anyway, Bickslow was used to running on little to no sleep. A quick glance over his shoulder showed him she was still asleep, and he took a second to place a thin blanket over her. He would return to his place beside her soon, but first he had things he needed to deal with.

He moved silently over to the window, pausing at the reflection he saw inside. His hair was a train wreck, gel still in it as it flattened in some places and twisted in others. Usually he'd shower, but he couldn't risk her knowing he hadn't slept. He tried as hard as he could to sort it out but knew it would be horrendous in the morning. He opened the window slightly, trying not to let in too much of the cold night air and allowed his consciousness to flow out of the apartment and across the city. It took a while to find the babies, but luckily his more subdued mood had spread to them much earlier in the evening so they weren't too hyperactive. He waited, looking out across the city as he drummed his fingernails against the window frame.

The babies floated in slowly through the window, each of them bumping gently into the side of his head before heading in to land softly on one of the bags that he had brought over much earlier in the day. He groaned slightly as he realised which one it was, moving over to them to retrieve what was inside.

The five bottles fitted easily in one of his hands, but he carried them in two to stop them from clinking together. The babies always got antsy if they were too close to the bottles, always pulled between their two bodies unless Bickslow was concentrating on keeping them apart. He stood on Pippi and Poppo, rising slowly upwards until he could place the bottles on the shelf. Once they were safely in place he waved a hand over them, turning down the pull the babies would feel before landing back on the floor and making his way over to the bed.

He crept under the blankets, pulling Lisanna up into his arms as she adjusted in her sleep to rest up against his chest. The long nights trying to stay awake had taught him well, he would catch up in naps later when he was so exhausted even his brain couldn't conjure up any nightmares. Freed had always tried to get him to read during these long nights, and Evergreen had even tried to teach him meditation but neither solution really interested him. Instead he closed his eyes and opened up his soul allowing his totems to merge into it for some long-awaited quality time together.

* * *

 **Hail and well-met friends!**

 **I have recently been targeted by a group called Critics Anonymous because my fanfiction contains explicit content. They will mass report my fics, which may end up with them being deleted from .**

 **I have done a fair amount of thinking, and for my own reasons which I won't make public (feel free to message me if you would like to know) I won't be deleting my fics from , and I also won't be editing them to meet their requirements.**

 **Unfortunately, this means they could disappear at any point. I will be posting this at the bottom of my fics from now on, along with on my profile, but I would like to provide you with how to find me.**

 **All of my fics also get posted on Archive Of Our Own, under the same username (muddyevil)**

 **I will be updating it with some of the older fanfictions I have written (mostly competition weeks) soon.**

 **If anyone has any tips on how to deal with this going forward, it will be greatly appreciated!**

 **I just want to leave you with one more note. I love you all, all of the kind words have helped me out in some frankly awful times and kept me going. I am not going to stop writing fanfiction. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for supporting me.**


	41. Chapter 41

Lisanna awoke to the totems chattering between themselves, and Bickslow replying to them in hushed tones.

"It will be a couple of hours, max. The poor guy needs help by the sound of it. Puppu shouldn't have told me about it if he didn't want me to go."

Lisanna groaned, pushing herself to cuddle in closer to him as he wrapped his arm around her and pressed a kiss to her head. She had expected to be woken up by Bickslow's terrors in the night, but he had been fine. She smiled to herself, knowing he wouldn't see it. Maybe she made him better. She looked up at him, noticing the utter chaos which was his hair after he had slept with it still gelled up, with some plastered down to his hair and others sticking out from his head in even more random directions than normal.

"Where are you going?"

Her voice was croaky from sleep and she coughed to try and clear it while he spoke.

"Puppu noticed an exorcism job at the guild yesterday. Thought I could go this morning and help the guy out. It'll only be a couple of hours, but the babies don't wanna go back to sleep."

Lisanna hummed, stretching out her limbs as she did. Her body _ached_ from the training the day before and she was embarrassed to admit she squeaked when her shoulder joints popped in unison. Maybe she could provide a solution.

"I can look after them, if you want. If they'll let me that is?"

Bickslow coughed in surprise, it wasn't what he had been expecting. It could be less dangerous, sure, less likely that she would be either possessed or taken over. It would please the babies, and hopefully let them bond a little more too. He opened his mind, letting the babies make the final decision. When he got nothing but excitement back he smiled down at Lisanna, turning his body so he could lie on top of her and press a kiss to her forehead.

"I'm going to grab a shower first. Care to join me?"

* * *

Lisanna was pressed up against the wall of the shower, hands splayed above her head as Bickslow thrust into her from behind. One of his hands was grasped onto her hip, giving him leverage for his thrusts while the other pressed across her mouth to hide her screams from the babies. His own mouth was biting into the back of her shoulder, leaving more marks across her skin as she panted into his palm. He had teased her as soon as they got into the shower, trying to convince her to make herself taller, until they were the same height to make the position easier. Right now, she was glad she did.

"You're fucking perfect, Lisanna"

His voice was muffled against her skin, and Lisanna wanted to reply but his fingers clenched and smothered the words before they could even leave her mouth. It wasn't fair at all.

She could feel the magic pumping through her veins, and struggled to keep her concentration as her mind was clouded by pleasure. She rested her head against the cool tile, trying to ground herself and the way her hips rocked back into Bickslow's made him grunt. Teeth stopped brushing against her skin and instead dug into the flesh of her shoulder and her knees nearly buckled away as her orgasm overtook her, forcing Bickslow to snake an arm around her waist to keep her steady as he thrusted a few more times before he came inside her.

Both of their breathing was heavy, the steam of the shower not helping them in the slightest as Lisanna transformed back into her original size and rested against the wall. Bickslow chuckled, placing a few kisses across her back before standing back up and stretching almost to his full height, his hands hitting into the ceiling.

Lisanna turned around as he stuck his head more completely under the water, all of his hair now solid and plastered close to his scalp.

"This is going to be hell to get out, isn't it?"

* * *

A few hours later, Bickslow was stood in a bookshop. He hadn't forgotten the time Lisanna had totally taken control of his memories the first time he had used his magic on her, and he was going to look through the books he had on Sieth magic at _some point_ but he also thought that it might not have been his magic that had allowed her to do it. He had taken over hundreds of people before, hell he had probably gone through Freed's mind thousands of times and allowed the Rune Mage to see through his own memories too and it had never happened. No, it was probably something to do with her. Which would make sense. She took over souls, after all, it would make sense she would have a modicum of control over both of them when they were merged.

He chuckled to himself when he picked up the first book. _Of course_ it would have a picture of Mira on the front. Even despite the near decade she had spent not using her magic, between Lisanna and Tenrou, she was still the most powerful take over mage on the continent, maybe even on the planet. Add to that her looks and, well, who else would you have on the cover?

"Excuse me?"

The voice was low, and Bickslow assumed it was asking for someone else until he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He turned around slowly, putting his book down as he did. He had his mask on, and his babies weren't there. It would be fine. They couldn't know he was a Sieth.

The man in question looked almost as out of place as he did. He was wearing a full three piece suit, immaculate in its black linen, and his black hair was tied backwards in what looked like a plait down his spine. He still had a hand on Bickslow's shoulder and he was tempted to push it off if Freed hadn't told him time and time again it was _rude._

"I don't suppose you're Bickslow, are you?"

That hit him like a punch to the gut. Why would he know his name? Yes, he was in Fairy Tail but the Raijinshuu kept themselves to themselves, and if someone knew any of them it would be Freed. He nodded slowly, and a smile twisted across the man's face. It didn't look like a happy smile, and Bickslow began to reach for his mask, just in case…

"Ah, good."

He didn't have time to reach the mask before the hand on his shoulder clenched, and Bickslow's stomach started to roil. He knew this feeling, knew he was being teleported and he also knew from experience this was not something he coped well with. He gasped in pain as his mind started to be torn into six, and he was unconscious before he even hit the floor.

* * *

For the first few hours, Lisanna doesn't worry. She takes a walk down the the local market, all five babies following in a line behind her, and trades the few jewel she has on her for the ingredients for a soup. She could put it on a slow simmer until he got back.

The babies had been _helping_ her cook, too. It seemed that they could move in and out of objects of their own free will, which she found out when Peppe possessed a knife and made her shriek as it slammed down on the chopping board when she was about to cut carrots. Letting out a shaky breath she shooed him back into his normal home and picked up the knife herself.

After the soup had been put onto boil the totems decided that the next thing they wanted to do was play hide and seek, although it didn't work too well. Lisanna wondered if it was the only game that they knew how to play, but it was difficult with how small the apartment was. Lisanna spent the majority of the time spinning around in circles, pretending not to see them at all as she walked past the little wooden cylinders and only picking them out occasionally. She excused herself once the soup started boiling to turn it down slightly, before just sitting and watching them play their own version of the game for a while.

When it started to get dark outside Lisanna began to worry. The totems occasionally came over to her, interrupting their game in order to whine at her that they missed Bickslow. Lisanna wasn't quite sure what to say, instead distracting them by joining in their games for a while.

Was this because she ran away the day before? No… that didn't make sense. Even if Bickslow did want to leave her, which she really didn't think that he did, he wouldn't leave his totems behind. She turned her lacrima over and over in her hands as she considered calling him, but she didn't want to interrupt his job. She could maybe call Freed? But then again what would he think if this was just her stupid paranoia playing up? Surely he would call her as soon as he was done?

A few hours later and Lisanna had already eaten her portion of the soup, putting the leftovers in the fridge which up until that point had been populated with nothing but a few bottles of beer. The babies had long since forgotten their game and had instead taken to floating around, speaking to each other in noises that she couldn't understand. Fuck, she wished that Bickslow was there. He would know what was wrong with them. Pippi would occasionally come and bump into her, resting on her lap as she read the book she had picked up from the market that morning and whining. In fact, if the little doll hadn't had fallen slowly off her leg she probably wouldn't have noticed as soon as she did.

All the babies had hit something soft as they fell, reducing the thunks they had made to near silence. It didn't bother her at first, it could easily have been one of their games, but when she picked up Pippi and the little wooden body was heavier than usual she knew something was wrong.

"Guys?"

She tried to sound brave, but the way her voice cracked gave away her comprehension. She stood up, picking up all of the babies in turn but they were _cold_. Maybe they had upped their hide and seek game? Looking around the room she tried to see any objects that were out of place but nothing jumped out at her.

"Come on now, this is a fun game and I do want to play but just let me know you're okay first?"

The next minute spread into hours, and Lisanna knew something was wrong. She picked up her lacrima, trying to contact Bickslow but the magic just didn't _connect_. The glass fell out of her hand as she went numb and she started to scramble towards the door. Freed. She had to find Freed.

* * *

 **A/N - I'm not apologising ;-P**


	42. Chapter 42

When Bickslow awoke he could not work out where he was. His mind was reeling, and it took him a while to pull together all of the strands of his mind to even realise that he needed to open his eyes in order to get at least some information. That was when he realised that his eyes were blindfolded and he wouldn't be able to learn anything from there. He tried to pull his hands up in order to take it off but his wrists were rubbed by the ropes that were wrapped around them. Well. That couldn't be good.

"Do you have any idea how long it took me in order to put your mind back together?"

Bickslow's head shot up, following the voice that had spoken. It was a male voice, and sounded like someone who had grown up in the upper echelons of society but he couldn't pick out anything more than that.

"Who the fuck are you?"

The man ignored him completely, instead continuing on with his previous train of thought, fingernails raking across his scalp and making him flinch.

"I do mean it. Teleporting you really destroyed your mind, I've never seen anything like it before. It took up a lot of magic energy even to pull it back together again. Don't worry, I saw what you did to do it and let's just say I am fucking glad I don't need to do anything like _that_ to get all of my power."

Bickslow groaned, tugging at the ropes that were binding him down as he heard the other man move around in front of him but to no avail.

"Who the fuck _are you_? How do you know what it did?"

The man chuckled, and it sent shivers down Bickslow's spine before he felt two warm hands cradling his cheeks and the undeniable brush of breath across his skin as the other man pressed his forehead to his own. Bickslow tried to squirm away, but he was far too strong.

"I can see into your mind, Bickslow. And now, your mind is going to help me out."

* * *

Bickslow was standing in the centre of the ring in a huge, opulent circus tent. He knew he hadn't been teleported for two reasons. Firstly, his mind was still in one piece which _never_ happened after teleportation and secondly this particular tent had been destroyed a long time ago.

The sand crunched beneath his feet as he positioned himself to look straight up, into his own domain. Sure enough the acrobatics equipment was there, high ropes and bars and everything he had used for his routines. And swinging from the trapeze he could see a very familiar figure.

"Lisanna?"

The girl smiled down at him as she twirled around the bar, the rope affixing it to the top of the tent swinging backwards and forwards with her momentum. He watched as her muscles flexed, knowing what she was about to do but also knowing the angle wasn't right. Fear soared in his throat, but something at the back of his head told him she would be fine. She could transform in an instant, she wouldn't even hit the floor.

Like he expected, her fingers brushed the next bar, but didn't quite manage to grasp onto it and she started to tumble. His heart jumped into his mouth, but she would transform soon enough. She was probably just showboating, a bad habit she had no doubt learnt from him. Time seemed to slow as she fell towards the floor, getting closer and closer and still the feathers didn't sprout from her arms. She was cutting it fine, soon she would be too close…

He had to close his eyes as her body hit the floor, but that didn't stop the crunch of her bones that echoed through the tent. He was moving forward before his eyes had even opened, sprinting the couple of hundred metres to where Lisanna lay broken on the floor. He had expected blood but it was surprisingly clean, none of her bones breaking through the skin although her limbs were all blown out at awkward and difficult angles. He skidded to his knees, taking her into his arms before nearly dropping her when he got a closer look at her skin.

It was crisscrossed with black veins, spreading across her skin like a spiderweb from beneath her shirt and snaking up her face. It was a symptom he hadn't seen in…

"No. No no no…"

Her eyes were screwed tightly closed, and Bickslow tried to grab at her eyelids to pry them open. Her soul was still there, if he could just get to look her in the eyes…

"Lissy… c'mon sweetie just open those eyes for me. I just need to look into your eyes, come on…"

But she wouldn't budge. Tears started to well from his eyes in ugly streaks as her breathing started to slow. Ripping her soul out without looking into her eyes was going to hurt both of them, but now it was all that was left for him to do. She couldn't be saved any other way. He tried to call his magic to his aide, but it wouldn't come. Usually his eye magic was just _there_ , it never took any thought at all but now it was just an empty void somewhere deep within his own soul. He must still have vestiges of it, he could see her soul slowly fading away in front of him but he couldn't _do_ anything with it.

No… that wasn't right. Usually the soul left the body and hung around for a while before fading away. It never faded away to nothingness while it was still inside the body. It would cause guilt if he allowed her soul to temporarily reside in one of the various objects scattered around the ring but at least it would give him more time to work out what was going wrong with his magic and collect her for one of his totems. But right now it was visibly getting fainter, along with her heartbeat, until suddenly it was gone. She was gone. And Bickslow was completely alone.

* * *

When Bickslow came around he could taste nothing but vomit in his mouth. He realised it had been a nightmare almost instantaneously, it just didn't add up. He hadn't heard any of his babies in his head the whole time, that fall should have killed Lisanna straight away and there was no reason why she would even _be there_. But that still didn't stop his shaking, or the sick feeling that was still in his stomach.

"It wasn't real."

His voice was hoarse, as if he had been screaming for hours. Maybe he had? He tried to bring his hands up to rub his eyes but they were still tied down.

"She's very pretty, isn't she?"

Bickslow's head shot up at the voice. He was still here. He shouted despite the way it ripped through his throat.

"Don't talk about her! Don't you…"

He was interrupted by fingers on his cheek, and he flinched away from the contact. He felt the huff of breath in his ear as the man laughed, and seconds later two strong arms wrapped around him and pulled him into a hug. Bickslow struggled. He didn't mind physical contact but only on his terms, and this was not what he wanted. The man's voice came as a whisper in his ear, too close, too intimate.

"I bet she sounds delicious when she screams."

Bickslow jerked his head, trying to headbutt the other man but he had moved too far, too fast. He grunted in frustration, struggling against the bonds that tied him down and the man's hold against him. When he finally spoke it was a whisper, as if him speaking any louder would make this whole thing too real.

"I'll do whatever you want. Just… don't bring her into this."

Bickslow had always been told his laugh was creepy. But compared to this, it was nothing.

"Oh, Bickslow. Fact number one about me. I never, ever, make promises."

* * *

Tears were obscuring her vision as she sprinted through the streets towards the guildhall. It didn't help that her magic was going haywire, picking up on her panic and adrenaline and threaten to transform her at any moment. She was stumbling what felt like every couple of seconds, although it didn't slow her down at all. She needed to find Freed, and she needed to find him now.

The guildhall was a blur, and she just knew everyone was looking at her but she didn't care. A quick check around the room and she couldn't see any green hair, but a voice in the back of her head urged her to get down into the library. She knew Mira would follow her, but that didn't matter. She just needed Freed. She nearly fell down the stairs as she took them two at a time, and barely even noticed when she barrelled into Levy.

* * *

"You know what I'm going to say, don't you?"

Mira had left the job of comforting Lisanna to Elfman and, to a lesser extent, Evergreen and was now sat by Freed where he had started on information gathering with Levy. He didn't even look up from the timeline he was drawing to speak to her.

"Trust me, he hasn't just run away. He'd never leave his babies behind. Leaving Lisanna in the lurch is one thing, but his babies? No."

Mira scoffed, not wanting to outright accuse Bickslow of abandoning his family, but still not satisfied with the answer.

"Can't he just… call them to him? Surely leaving their bodies isn't such a big deal."

He looked uncomfortable, looking this way and that until he leant over and whispered to Mira.

"Fine. I wasn't worried because he's done this before. Bickslow runs away, a lot. Which is why I have this."

Freed pulled a small notebook out of his pocket, and flicked through a few sheets to find the page he wanted. It was covered in complicated runes, but not a single one was activated, simply old ink on even older paper.

"This is a tracking rune. Specifically, for Bickslow. It should look like this."

He flipped the page over, and the next was covered in bright shimmering runes that forced Mira to blink.

"That's Evergreen's. As soon as Lisanna told me he had gone I tried to find him. He's somewhere where my runes are blocked out. I don't know anyone who can do that, and Bickslow definitely can't. He didn't do this himself."

Mira swallowed heavily. Somewhere, deep in her heart, she had been hoping for Bickslow to have just left the guild like he'd said to her when they spoke earlier in the week. At least then he'd be safe. She looked over to her sister, pretending not to see the tears threatening to fall from Evergreen's eyes.

"Why haven't you told Lisanna?"

Freed stayed silent for a moment, following Mira's gaze.

"I didn't want to panic her. You know her best, you tell her if you think she needs to know."

Mira mulled it over in her head for a moment, weighing up her options before she set her jaw firm and made to head back over to her little sister. She wouldn't tell her, not yet. She would protect her while she still could.

* * *

Lisanna's coping mechanism had always been cooking. By now Mira had perfected looking like she was helping her, without actually adding to the pile of food that was accumulating on the countertop in the kitchen of the guild. She had gone through six loaves of bread in making sandwiches, and the ovens were full of various cakes in various stages of the cooking process. Mira knew that she had to stay quiet, knew that no matter what she said it wasn't going to make it any better. All she could do was wait for Lisanna to talk in her own time.

It wasn't long until Gajeel swept in and told them both to go home. Leaving the safety of the kitchen Mira could see the guildhall was empty except for a few people, a map of Magnolia showing a variety of moving dots as Freed tracked their movements around the town. She tried to distract Lisanna, it really wouldn't help if she realised those runes existed.

The walk home was equally as quiet, and neither of the girls spoke as they both scrambled into Mira's bed. The older girl kept quiet as her sister wept into her shoulder, rubbing circles on her back to try and calm her. It was after she was sure Lisanna had already gone to sleep when the silence was broken.

"He wouldn't leave me, would he Mira?"

She couldn't answer.


	43. Chapter 43

Lisanna wasn't quite sure what woke her up. She could still feel Mira's arm slung across her waist, so it wasn't that. It took a few moments until she heard shuffling at the other end of the room, and she blinked her eyes to try and adjust them to the darkness.

She'd recognise that figure anywhere. Tall, broad shoulders but still with the lithe muscles of an acrobat. Probably the most stunning thing was the bushel of purple feathers sticking out from his head.

"BICKSLOW!"

The man froze at his name, one hand on the door handle. Why he was leaving and why he was so full dressed was beyond her, but she was on her feet in seconds, sprinting across the room and only stumbling slightly as she wrapped her arms around him.

The feel of his back pressed against her chest was comforting, telling her that he was _real_ and she wasn't just imagining things.

"Oh, I was so scared, Bicks. Where did you go?"

Bickslow didn't speak, simply spinning around in her grasp. He looked down at her, taking in her tear stained face before sighing heavily.

"You know… I really didn't want to do this."

Lisanna looked at him in confusion, something wasn't right. It took a while to dawn on her that _he had no guildmark_. She looked around, this wasn't her house in Earthland. It was the bunk in the Edolas guildhall that her family all shared. Had her entire trip back to Earthland been a dream? She had to admit it made more sense. She looked down at Mira's body on the bed, and her heart nearly stopped.

She shouldn't have bled that much. She wasn't breathing. Lisanna's eyes slid across to Elfman's bed to take in the same sight. The slits across their throats had been clean, even if the bodies weren't anymore. She heard a choked sob escape her own mouth, before her attention was pulled elsewhere.

It took a while for her brain to comprehend it. It was a sharp pain, localised to the left of her back at first. But as the knife slid in further and further the pain spread until it became the totality of her existence. She tried to take a deep breath, but heard it gurgle in her throat. Well. That wasn't good.

"Trust me when I say I never wanted to kill you."

Bickslow's voice was low in her ear, so familiar yet twisted in its cadence.

"It would have been much sweeter to see you have to live with your siblings' deaths, but unfortunately you've seen too much. Fairy Tail is just too good a customer to allow you to turn them against us."

Lisanna tried to respond, tried to tell him of the time they had spent together in another dimension but even if that would sway him at all it may not have been real. Her mouth opened and closed pointlessly, and she knew that she looked stupid and for some reason that made it so much worse. His hands were rested on her waist, something that she had gotten to know as something comforting and sweet but now it had a sinister bite. He lowered her slowly to the bed, the mattress jarring the knife further into her back as he spun her and stood above her. His expression was perverse as he licked his lips, and smiled in a way Lisanna had never seen before.

"Such a stupid little girl."

* * *

Bickslow felt her presence as soon as she was teleported into the room and instantly started to struggle. He could feel blood dripping down his hands as the ropes had rubbed through the skin until it had been lubricated so well with his own blood it wouldn't rub anymore.

"Let her go! Whatever you want from me, you leave her out of it. She doesn't deserve this!"

There was that chuckle again, and Bickslow couldn't tell whether he was glad that he couldn't feel the man touching him anymore or terrified because that meant that he could be touching her.

"How obtuse of you."

Bickslow didn't reply, simply growled as he struggled more. He dislocated his own thumbs, a trick he had learnt in his childhood, wincing as it twisted the wounds on his wrists in a new and more painful way, but the ropes were too tight even when they were dislocated. He discovered what a bad idea it was when he realised that he couldn't put them back in.

"But you've always been like that, haven't you? You always assume it's all about you. _You're_ the most powerful member of the Raijinshuu. _You're_ the one that everyone was afraid of when you betrayed your friends. _You're_ the one who everyone looks at whenever and wherever you perform and they love it! What a shame the Sieth magic stopped you from showing your strength at the Grand Magic Games, the whole country would have been able to see how incredible you are! And of course, Lisanna holds no purpose other than simply getting to you."

Bickslow was rendered speechless. Everything he was saying was… true. It was as if the man could see into the deepest recesses of his mind, and Bickslow supposed that he actually could.

"That's… that's not…"

"The world doesn't revolve around you, Bickslow. She's here because she's just as much a part of my plan as you are."

Bickslow was about to ask more, try to find a reason he could take Lisanna's place but he was cut off by a scream entering his ears. His heartbeat quickened as the scream tore at something inside of him.

"What are you doing to her?"

A chuckle again, and a stab of fear down his spine when fingernails scraped across the side of his scalp. He flinched again, he had too. He knew what this man was like and the more he tortured Bickslow the less he could torture Lisanna.

"Same thing I did to you. Allowing her to see her deepest fear."

Bickslow could do nothing but whine slightly. Her screams went on for what seemed like hours, voice croaking when her throat had been rubbed raw. Bickslow knew he shouldn't ask, knew it was a bad idea but he had to know.

"What can she see?"

He regretted the question instantly as the man guffawed. Hands clasped on each of his shoulders, and the response came in a whisper right next to his ear.

"That's the thing about my magic, Bickslow. I don't have to plant the images of fear in someone's head. I can of course, but it's so much more fun to open the pathway to where they already exist at the back of your mind. For who knows your deepest fear worse than yourself?"

The voice moved from one ear to the other, and hot breath danced across his skin.

"Right now, she's dreaming that you're killing her, over and over again."

A stone dropped in Bickslow's stomach, and he was sure if he had anything left to vomit it would have happened then. Her deepest fear was… him? He felt a sob wrack through his body involuntarily and he swore internally. He was giving this bastard everything he wanted.

"Don't worry, she'll be done soon. But first, I'm afraid you'll have to sleep for a bit longer."

Bickslow began to protest, struggle as much as he could but within seconds he felt a blow to the back of the head and he was out cold.

* * *

The first thing Bickslow felt when he woke up was the deep throbbing in the base of his skull. He was upright now, arms jacked above his head with the cold of the brick wall pressing into his back. He creaked his eyes open to a dark, dingy room. The idiot had it in for him now, all he had to do was look into his…

His train of thought was instantly shattered as he looked into Lisanna's eyes. He struggled to turn his eye magic off as two blue eyes, rimmed with red from where she had been crying stared into his. She was tied up as well, dressed in nothing but rags with tear streaks down her face.

"Lisanna…"

A smile. It lit up her face as she giggled, but the noise was hollow. He could still see her soul quaking in fear, her magic thrumming inside her as it tried to get out, the power shying away from the magic blocking cuffs on her wrists.

"Hey Handsome, do you come here often?"

Bickslow laughed quietly. He could tell she was trying to cheer him up with humour, speaking his language as she tried to calm them both down.

"I dunno, what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?"

Lisanna smiled back. His body ached to touch her, take her into his arms and console her but it was impossible. At least if they were here together they could help each other through.

"Well… this is very touching but I'm afraid I am going to have to break it up."

Bickslow's head turned slowly, not wanting to break eye contact with the girl across from him. The man was reclining on a chair now, down to a shirt, trousers and loafers as he crossed one leg over the other casually. He had glasses fastened securely over his eyes and Bickslow swore that his one escape had been taken away from him. Neither of them gave him a response.

"Bickslow. You can see her magic, yes?"

Bickslow's eyes moved without his permission, taking in the white aura that surrounded Lisanna's soul. The man smirked.

"It's okay, you don't need to answer me. I know that you can. Listen very carefully for what I need you to do for me. You need to separate the magic from her soul and transfer it into me. I know you can do that."

Bickslow couldn't help but laugh. He knew it was a thing that people had tried, but it had never actually _worked_. He should know, he had read every single book that existed on his type of magic. Not only read it in books, he had practical experience as well.

"You know that's a myth, right? I have tried… so many times and it's never worked. It never sticks. Mages die without their magic, and as soon as they're dead, poof, their magic disappears along with their souls."

The man grinned again, and for some reason it sparked the worst fear that Bickslow had experienced since he had been down here.

"Oh, don't worry. I have a way to keep her alive. A way to keep the Magic Deficiency Disease at bay. So come on, Bickslow. Do this. For me?"

Bickslow spat in his direction, not caring that it got nowhere near him. He expected to be punished, expected any kind of reaction than the one he got. The grin spread wider across the man's face, impossible wide, and his soul glowed with excitement.

"Do you have any idea how much I hoped you would say that?"

* * *

 **A/N - Just a quick authors note - This fic will follow Bickslow and Lisanna and the time spent with Lin. If you want to read from the perspective of the rest of the guild, and their efforts to find them, it can be found in the sister fic Iron and Paper. I am going to try not to repeat too much if you have read both!**

 **I just want to give another huge thank you to everyone for their support, it has kept me going the last couple of weeks and I couldn't have done it without all of you.**


	44. Chapter 44

The guy was kind of an expert at this, Bickslow could tell. It started off as punches to his jaw, somewhat painful but nothing Bickslow had never experienced before. Lisanna looked away, but Bickslow kept silent so she wouldn't hear his pain. He couldn't do that to her. That part of the process stopped when Lin brought out the knives.

The blade wasn't quite sharp enough, but that was the point. Bickslow hissed as it scraped across the flesh of his upper arm, and that was enough to get Lisanna to look over at him. She gasped as she saw the blood begin to trickle down his arm and struggled against her bonds.

"Careful now, darling. Can't have you hurting yourself now, can we?"

Lin's voice was sickly sweet, and it caused Lisanna to scream in frustration. It wasn't right. It wasn't _fair_.

"Why him? Why did you choose him?"

Lin stopped, knife to Bickslow's other arm ready to slice through flesh again. He turned to face her, grin wide and eyes sparkling behind glasses.

"Has he not told you? Sieth magic is illegal. More illegal than what I'm doing here. The council are told to kill Sieth mages on sight. They're incredibly hard to find."

Lisanna clenched her teeth, setting her jaw firm before spitting out her words.

"I know it's illegal. That still doesn't tell me why you're doing this to him."

Another smile, and something told her she wasn't getting an answer.

"You know how dark his magic is and yet you still love him? How very sweet of you."

Bickslow grunted as the knife ran across his skin again and Lisanna bit back a scream. She couldn't let this get to her. That was what he wanted.

* * *

Bickslow was bleeding profusely after a few minutes. He hadn't let out anything more than a few grunts or hisses, and Lisanna had steadfastly stared at the floor. Lin had grown increasingly impatient, each cut going deeper and deeper and causing more pain until he dropped the knife to the floor and grabbed Bickslow's head, pressing their foreheads together. Lisanna watched as Bickslow went limp, and started to scream.

"What are you doing to him!?"

Lin didn't turn back to look at her, instead concentrating on the task in front of him.

"Information gathering. It's invaluable."

Bickslow was panting heavily when he woke up, a sheen of sweat visible across his skin as Lin ripped down the front of his makeshift shirt. The man's face lit up when he saw the scar that lay there, and knelt down to pick the knife back up. He trailed the blade lightly across the scar, enough to tickle but not enough to draw any blood.

"Does she know about this? About what happened? Who did this?"

Lisanna snapped at him. Did he think she was an idiot?

"He got it in a fight. The fucker can't remember his own name anymore and neither will you when we're finished with you."

She couldn't say she expected laughter, or the grimace across Bickslow's face. She struggled again, and this time she wasn't even chastised.

"Such a clean cut. Let's see if we can make it a bit angrier, what do you say?"

Bickslow's screams filled the room as the knife dug in, deeper than before and scraping across bone on its journey down his chest. Tears spilt from Lisanna's face as she watched him writhe in pain, screaming for the man to stop but it wouldn't come. As soon as the knife hit the end of the scar its movement ended, but the screaming didn't, from either party.

"Bickslow! Just do it! Just transfer my soul, then he'll stop!"

Bickslow's screams died down to grunts, and Lisanna felt sick at the waves of crimson pouring down his body. Lin grinned again, seeming to loving the situation he had put them in.

"Yes, Bickslow. Both of your pain will stop if you just do what I say."

When Bickslow spoke his voice was weak, breathing laboured with pain as he tried to collect his words.

"Hey, Lisanna? Remember couple nights ago? On top of the cathedral?"

Lisanna nodded, before realising Bickslow's head was hung low and he couldn't see her.

"Yes, Bicks?"

His next words were said with a smile, dazzling her as he looked up as if the pain was nothing to him.

"Remember what you said?"

Lisanna wracked her brain. This was not the time, not the place. She had said so many things on that roof, so many things since then. How could she know which one he meant? Bickslow picked up on her confusion, hissing in pain before he spoke again.

"You told me that your soul was mine, Lissy. And I told you you shouldn't say that to a Sieth. That means your soul, your whole soul, belongs to me and thus I choose what to do with it. And I'm choosing not to give it to this cunt here."

* * *

The burns were the worst. They started off as strangely pleasant, warming his otherwise cold flesh as the flames lapped at his skin. Then, an unimaginably small spot would start to become too hot, too fast, the pain spreading across his skin like a flower as he tried desperately to pull loose from his chains. Cuts, bruises he could deal with. He had been cut or punched or fallen from great heights so many times he could deal with it almost silently, but despite his life in Fairy Tail he hadn't had much experience with flames. The burns always made him scream.

Lin had replaced the blindfold around his eyes, citing his unwillingness to wear glasses anymore and the heightened fear it caused when Bickslow didn't know where he would strike next. By now his entire body throbbed; he didn't know how long they had been down there but he had been forcibly fed three times. The man seemed to comprehend he wouldn't be able to use any magic without fuel. He vomited most of it back up, the pain forcing his stomach to reject it, but some of it must have sunk in as his magic didn't seem to wane. He tried to call his babies to him but they were too far away and in their permanent bottles, which were almost impossible to pull them from without the correct ritual.

The nightmares were back, too. Always the same one, and no matter how much Bickslow tried to rationalise that it wasn't real he always woke up throat raw and sweating. Lisanna always asked him if he was okay, all the while Lin swore profusely. Bickslow didn't know what he was doing to anger the man, but he sure was glad he was doing it. Lin kept probing into Bickslow's mind, trying to change the course of the nightmare but it always snapped back to Lisanna succumbing to that awful disease on the sand of his childhood home.

Whatever he was looking for, he found it quicker within Lisanna's mind. The first time Bickslow heard her screams echoing around the room again it was met with Lin's enthusiastic cheers, thanking her over and over again for her gift. Bickslow started to ask what had happened, what he had found but he was silenced when he felt a needle enter his neck and he was being pulled down into an unnatural sleep.

When Bickslow awoke again his entire body ached, throbbing with pain. At the sound of a voice, similar to but not quite Lisanna, he lifted his head but he was unable to see anything through the thick bandages which wound around his eyes. Last time he had heard her talk she had been to his left, but this female voice came from his right, although it did sound familiar.

"Lisanna! Where are we?"

This time, it was a man, and Bickslow recognised it as Elfman. Why were Mira and Elfman here as well? He tugged once again on his restraints which were holding his arms above his head, which garnered the attention of the others in the room.

"Bickslow?"

The voice was now unmistakably Mira's, and he smiled slightly. Maybe having her sister there would placate Lisanna, even if it was just a little bit.

"What are we doing here? What happened?"

Bickslow sighed, shaking his head as he did.

"There's some maniac, trying to get me to put Lisanna's magic into his body. I've told him I'm not gonna do it, no matter how much he tortured me. I'm not gonna hurt Lisanna."

"Very noble of you, Bickslow. Your morals really did put a spanner into my plan. What a shame you had fallen in love with her."

The voice was the same one which had been torturing him for… he didn't know how long. To the left of him, Lisanna started to cry. He heard the jangle of chains to the right, but no more words.

"Never mind, I can use that to my advantage. Who knew that she would have siblings with the same power? Now I don't need her. You managed to withstand when I tortured you, but could you see me torture her?"

Bickslow gasped as the bandages were slipped off his eyes, the man stood there smirking at his luck. Elfman and Mira mirrored Lisanna's position, strapped upright into what looked like adjusted operating tables. They struggled once or twice, chains nearly giving way as Lin made his way over to Lisanna with that bastard knife. Bickslow panicked. He couldn't allow this.

"Don't!"

Lin froze with the blade of the knife on Lisanna's cheek. He turned to look at Bickslow, and smiled. But before he could speak Lisanna pulled away, twisting her head to look at the Sieth.

"Bickslow, I can be strong and withstand a while. You don't need to…"

She was cut off by Mira and Elfman screaming protests, each offering themselves in her place. They didn't want to see her hurt any more than he did. Bickslow tried to smile, but he knew it was weak.

"You may be strong, Lisanna, but we're not. I'll do it. I'll transfer their magic."

Lin grinned as he moved over to the centre of the room; sitting himself down on a chair in anticipation of his new power. Lisanna kept shouting to his left, and although it shook him to the core he blocked it out. Turning to look at Mira she nodded her head, and Bickslow tried to look reassuring.

"Mira, I am so sorry. This is going to hurt. A lot."

His eyes turned green, and he started the slow process of removing just the magic from her soul. No one in the room expected the screams to be that loud.

* * *

 **A/N - I am so sorry this is a day late and so short! Uni has punched me in the gut the last couple of weeks *sigh* Hopefully I will be back on schedule soon!**


	45. Chapter 45

Lin had never expected the pain to be quite this bad. Of course he knew it would hurt, not that there had been any precedent but it could be concluded from all the information that he did have that it was likely to hurt. But not _like this_.

He had felt his magic in his body before, of course he had. Every mage felt the ache under the entirety of their skin when it started to wane, when they pushed themselves too hard. But this was different. It started as a small tear in the centre of his chest, the same sensation as a small cut to his skin, but it started to spread. His entire magical energy started to rip to shreds as if it was leaving his body an ounce at a time. Had he done something wrong? Had the bastard thought of a way to remove his soul without eye contact? No. It wasn't possible. And plus that girl was screaming so loud, he must have been doing _something_ to her. He clenched his fists against the pain, and thought why he was here.

Everything he had ever done in his life had led to this moment. The time spent with his mother, learning long distance teleportation. The concentration it took for him to picture the person perfectly, the sheer amount of magic it drained from him the first time he succeeded. The beautiful realisation he could get that picture from _someone else's head_. The long nights in his father's library, poring over his research in order to find a way to gain more power until his eyes burned and his brain blurred. The morning runs, the hours in the gym training his body to be more capable even if his magic wasn't. The screaming matches, the man he had always looked up to never following through with his promise to make him strong. The buzz of the tattoo needle as it burned an unknown script into his skin, forming magical circles that thrummed with power. Scratching the corresponding symbols onto his brothers' skins after he'd secured them to their seats.

His first murders. The momentary sickening feeling in his stomach as he saw the bodies, overtaken immediately by an overwhelming disappointment that his plan hadn't worked. The rage that followed, his victims' skulls crunching under the heel of his boot as he tried to grind out his frustrations. The number of times he went over his notes again and again, trying to find where he had gone wrong. The elation in his heart when the Rune Knights announced that his brothers' murders could not be solved. The redoubling of his efforts in order to gain the power that his ritual failed to provide him. The look of knowing on his father's face the first time he saw his tattoos, even though he never said a word. His eighteenth birthday, his knife entering his father's flesh when the old man still refused to provide Lin with the answers.

The frustration when his father's notes gave him nothing, the stupid man writing them in languages that Lin couldn't even recognise. Asking everyone he could think of to try and find anyone that could translate the books. The nerves in his system as he met with a young girl and one of the Dragon Slayer's from the Grand Magic Games, and the cogs in his brain starting to turn with the realisation he could gain the power of Dragons. The waiting game when the girl had his father's notes, could she translate it? Would she somehow realise what he was doing and report him? The excitement when he received the notes back, and the plan of what he needed to being scrawled onto a different paper in his own terrible handwriting. The rush of activity when he gathered the things that he needed, the adrenaline keeping him going when his energy ran out.

Lin felt the pain as the last vestiges of his magic tried to leave, holding onto his body by a tiny thread before it started to return, knitting itself back together but with something different. There was more magic there, unfamiliar magic that fought with his for control. He clenched his jaw, thankful the man in front of him wouldn't be able to see the way he squeezed his eyes shut as the magic flooded back, bigger this time. The power within him throbbed a few times and he gasped with the feeling. He couldn't help when he started to laugh, the noise joining Lisanna and Elfman's wails as they wept for their now silent sister. He had done it. He had fucking done it.

"Good… good. Now do him."

Bickslow was panting, the effort of intricately removing just Mira's magic had taken much more of a toll on his own reserves than he ever would have guessed. Her soul now glimmered paler than before, her body limp and silent but thankfully still alive. He nearly vomited when he heard Lin's command.

"What? Why? You have your increased power, don't make me do that again."

Elfman fought against his chains harder now, and Bickslow cursed at the fact that they still refused to break under the man's immense strength. Lin's laughter stopped but the grin was still there, spreading from ear to ear as he turned his face up to the Sieth's.

"The demon is good, but her defensive power is nowhere near his. I need him too."

Bickslow shook his head, pulling once again at his restraints as Lin struggled to stand. He wobbled slightly, pain and adrenaline knocking his balance before he took a few steps towards Lisanna and grabbed her face in his hand. She gritted her teeth, staring him down as best as she could through the tears that refused to stop.

"I think you forget what I have here."

Lisanna squirmed as his grip tightened, mashing the inside of her cheeks against her teeth painfully and she couldn't help but whimper as she tried to instinctively pull away.

Elfman's voice was a roar, filling the room as he shouted for her protection.

"What kind of a man are…"

His words were cut off as his eyes met Bickslow's, and suddenly Lin crumpled to his knees as Elfman's voice turned into a guttural scream. Lisanna simply watched as Bickslow clenched his fists, sweat pouring down his face as he manipulated the souls in front of him. She wracked her brain as she tried to think of a plan, anything to get him out of there but it came up blank. At least this time gave her a small respite. She closed her eyes, trying but failing to block out her brother's pained whimpers as they continued to fill the room, trying to ignore the way her brother's name spilled from her lips like a chant.

The room fell silent except for Bickslow panting to her right. She didn't need to open her eyes to know that Elfman had passed out, and felt a hand on her thigh as Lin pulled himself up to stand. The slow and quiet start to his laugh sent shivers down her spine, but her eyes remained firmly closed. His breath ghosted across her skin, and she tried to squirm away to no avail. She felt his forehead press against hers, and her mind was filled with the recent echoes of her siblings' screams, along with the visuals of Bickslow's grinning face as he slit their throats.

Lin huffed, pushing away from her and turning around to see the two unconscious forms behind him as their heads hung forward from the backboard of their restraints. They would need to go into the machines to keep them alive soon enough, but maybe they could give him something else before that…

His whole body shook, the power running through him too big for him to even comprehend. He'd assimilated the magic, the sheer power of two of the Strauss siblings. Two members of the winning team of the Grand Magic Games, one S-Class wizard, the She-Devil herself. Surely he was one of the most powerful people on the continent, no, on the _planet_ right now but it wasn't enough. He wanted more. He needed more.


	46. Chapter 46

Freed awoke with what he first thought was a hangover, until the pain subsided just enough for his memories to kick in. He hadn't been drinking, not this time.

He remembered Bickslow going missing, followed by Lisanna and soon after, her siblings. He remembered the crushing terror that surrounded him the longer they searched without any success until Gajeel had put together who it was who was doing this. He remembered working tirelessly with Levy, going through the man's work in hope of finding a way to stop him. To stop the long distance teleportation at least. He remembered starting to cry when he felt the pull on his body, knowing from his own teleportation what it meant. If Levy ever figured out how to stop it, it was too late for him.

He knew he was in magic blocking cuffs. The sensation was easy to get used to, after a while. So was waking with your hands wrenched above your head. He groaned to himself. One day he'd have to get Bickslow to teach him how he always managed to escape handcuffs. Although, if the Sieth hadn't returned yet it wasn't boding well for his abilities.

It took him a while to open his eyes. Well, his one eye. His right was patched up, blocking his sight and also his magic if he hadn't been in cuffs. Lin must be being extra cautious. It wasn't particularly bright where he was, but even the little light there was bore into his skull like a drill. Teleporting wasn't supposed to be like this, although he did suppose he'd never been teleported long distances before. He rolled his head up slowly, before wishing he didn't.

Bickslow was hung across from him, head hanging limply from his neck and for a brief moment of fear Freed thought he was dead. The scar that had adorned his chest for almost the entire time Freed had known the man had been reopened messily, the blood from the wound dried down his chest and most of his legs. The other cuts that adorned his skin were almost impossible to make out under the ocean of blood the larger wound had induced, but they were there, crisscrossing his torso and his face between dark purple and black bruises. He'd seen Bickslow in worse condition, but not by much.

His eyes slid around the room lazily. He may as well get as much information on his surroundings as possible, who knows whether they'd come in useful later on? The only light seemed to come from Lacrima in the room next to him, and he was sure it would have been clinical and white if it hadn't had landed on the dank brick walls of the basement. He was sure they were underground, he could feel the damp in the air and clinging to his skin. He'd been dressed in some rough woolen trousers, of course the teleportation never took the clothes with them. A quick glance to his left showed him Evergreen had made the journey with him, wrapped awkwardly in what looked like a sack and pinned roughly down the edges. She was still unconscious, but looked unharmed. That was good. Rough bandages wrapped around both of her eyes, blocking her own magic.

"No…"

Freed's head snapped back towards Bickslow, his eyes clenched closed as soon as Freed's view slotted over to him. That couldn't be right… surely his magic would be blocked too?

"No no no no no"

Bickslow's head was shaking, flinging whatever blood was still wet on his skin around the room. Freed hissed, Bickslow was loud and he didn't want him attracting the unwanted attention.

"Bickslow! You need to…"

The other man flinched away at his voice, starting to sob, the tears leaving clean tracks through the blood across his cheeks.

"You can't be here! This can't be real, it can't be you. You're too smart to be caught, you're meant to break me out. How are you gonna break me out if you're here too!?"

Freed looked at the man in front of him, really looked at him. He looked broken. Defeated. He'd lost all hope, the hope that Freed had unknowingly provided.

"Bickslow, it wasn't that easy… it's never that easy…"

He watched for a few minutes as Bickslow sobbed, knowing the Sieth well enough to be aware that he was useless to him like this. But he needed more information, more knowledge that only Bickslow could provide. He waited for his crying to die down to whimpers, and spoke with a voice that he hoped would calm the man down.

"Bickslow… you have to tell me everything. I need to know all I can if I'm going to get us out of this."

The Sieth winced, before slowly slipping into his story. He told Freed everything, from the nightmares, to the torture, to what he had done to to two oldest Strauss siblings. Freed listened dutifully until the last point, where he opened his mouth without thinking and instantly regretted it.

"And you just… did it? Without a fight?"

"He was going to hurt Lisanna, Freed. What was I supposed to do? I couldn't let that happen."

Freed grimaced. He knew that all too well. And he also knew, given a choice, Bickslow would choose her over the rest of his team too. He prayed the decision wouldn't be as easy for him, of course he did, but when push came to shove?

Freed had always seen the Raijinshuu as a family, more than the rest of Fairy Tail. He would die for every member of his team, without hesitation, without blinking an eye. The rest of Fairy Tail? Not so much. He had grown closer to them, sure, but nothing would ever break the bond he had formed with his closest team mates, or his idol. Fuck, if their roles had been reversed it would be Bickslow and Evergreen as his first priority, not Mira.

But Bickslow? Bickslow was different. He'd always skirted on the edges of the team. He'd always been… selfish. He would take anything that was offered to him without a second thought, and only give his gratitude to a select few. When things went wrong, he bolted. He was halfway across the continent after their failed coup and Freed remembered his gut clenching in fear that he wouldn't come back. And now, given the choice between saving his team mates and saving his girlfriend, it would always be her.

* * *

 **I am so sorry that this is both super late and super short! Writing a thesis is apparently a lot harder than I thought, but it should be back up to speed in a couple weeks (I hope)**

 **Thanks to all of you for all your patience! It means the world to me.**


	47. Chapter 47

They remained in silence for longer than Freed could count. He didn't want to press Bickslow too hard, too soon, and the other man didn't offer up any information either. The Sieth seemed to drift in and out of consciousness, occasional screams punctuating both his sleeping and waking moments. Whoever had them held here obviously either couldn't hear them, or didn't care. Freed tried to wrack his brain for something to help him out, but he came up with nothing to help them escape. Evergreen didn't awake, either, and for the longest amount of time he was left in nothing but silence. After a while he broke, and he chose a time where he thought Bickslow was lucid in order to ask him another question.

"Bickslow… where's Lisanna?"

Bickslow jerked into action, and Freed had a momentary fear that he had just informed the man that the Takeover mage wasn't there. But no, she would have been the first thing that Bickslow looked for as soon as he awoke, there was no chance he had missed she was gone. He looked like he wanted to shrug, but the position his arms were slung in refused to allow any movement in his shoulders.

"The guy is making her stay with Mira and Elfman. Something about the whole set staying together. He's fucked up, Freed. Worse than I am."

"Well, that's hardly an appropriate way to talk about your host."

Freed turned his head, and for the first time he saw the man who had been haunting their guild. He was taller than he expected, broader too. If he was forced to put a role on the man tactically, then he would have said fighter rather than strategist. Then again, he was reminded time and time again never to judge a book by it's cover.

"When you think about it, I'm not really being all that bad, gentlemen. I'm merely hunting a power that I was told would be mine."

Freed remained silent. Gather information first, and then he could start fighting back with his own words. Bickslow just looked defeated. Lin glanced between the two of them, grinning from ear to ear before sitting down on a chair just to the left of them.

"Now, Bickslow, am I correct in saying that I won't need to get your little kitty in here just yet? Don't get me wrong, I absolutely will if you don't co-operate, but for now I'm thinking that the threat to your friends here is a good enough excuse for you to do as I say."

Freed would be lying if he said he expected the response Lin got from Bickslow. Bickslow got protective, sure, but never like this.

"I won't do it. I won't hurt them. Mira, Elfman, fine. But I won't hurt them."

Lin's response was a surprise, too. He expected rage, anger at the insubordination that Bickslow was so flagrantly showing towards him. Instead he rose steadily, making his way over to Freed and studying his face.

He was close, almost too close and at this proximity Freed could see that his eyes were in fact red, not the black they looked from afar. A useless piece of information, maybe, but Freed liked to collect it all the same. Lin's hand rose to stroke his cheek, and Freed refused to jerk away, fixing the man in a cold gaze with his free eye.

"Freed Justine. You know some people call you Fairy Tail's greatest living tactician?"

Freed didn't bother giving him an answer, instead setting his jaw and looking petulently up at him.

"I am so glad I found you so soon. You could have put a real thorn in my plans."

Freed knew that the man wasn't talking about magic power at all, instead the power his mind held. But he wasn't the only one with that power.

"Levy could still find you."

Lin laughed at that, a full deep bellied laugh that seemed to shake the room they were in.

"Now we both know that's not true."

What made it hurt the most was that he was _right_. Levy was a genius yes, but in her own way. She knew so many more languages than Freed, and when it came to strategizing her team and now the addition of Gajeel and Lily she was second to none, but this? This was a whole nother level. This was pulling in information from a variety of sources, drawing lines between clues that may not exist at all and strategizing the entire guild to take this man down. Freed was sure Levy could learn, but by then it would be too late.

"Please… not them… they're useless to you."

Bickslow was babbling again, and Freed wished he could magically shut him up. The other man was seemingly running on adrenaline alone, with no thought process apart from the immediate needs in his brain. Lin grinned, looking Freed in his one good eye, already knowing the fear that was growing at the back of Freed's consciousness.

"Oh… they're useless to me? What makes you think that?"

"Bickslow, don't…"

Freed was too late, Bickslow's mouth was already open as he vomited out words in a stream of consciousness. If Freed didn't know any better, he would have assumed that the man was manipulating Bickslow's mind, but Bickslow never had been any good under extreme pressure.

"Well, you can't use their eye magic, you know that. Rune magic you need a shit tonne of knowledge to use and Evergreen's fairy magic is kind of… weak."

Freed wanted to scream, but he knew it wouldn't do any good. This man was intelligent, he knew that at least, and no matter how much he screamed and yelled the man would continue with whatever plan he had already set out without even stumbling.

"Now, you're wrong about one of those things. I have all the time in the world to learn Rune Magic, so I can gain that from Freed easily. But if she is as useless as you say she is…"

He took a few steps over to Evergreen, right arm transforming into Elfman's Lizardman arm as he did and grasping tightly at her throat.

"... then maybe I should just kill her."

The protests echoed in unison about the room, Bickslow simply screaming as Freed took a risk. For Evergreen to survive, he needed to make a deal, no matter how painful it was for him.

"You can use her without her magic. Her eyes… they're different to mine and Bickslow's. They're active even when she's asleep or unconscious. You can use her as bait."


	48. Chapter 48

The regret Freed felt in giving Lin the idea to use Evergreen as bait was instantaneous. Even if she had been knocked out before she wasn't now, screams echoing around the room as Freed was forced to watch the needle pierce her eyelids, before pulling the thread taught through her eyebrow and back again. Freed had thought he'd seen the worst humanity could throw at him, the months spent cooped up in a hospital with doctors poking and prodding at his eye, the endless nights he watched as magic was forced into Laxus' body, but it was nothing on this. He wanted to look away, empty stomach lurching with the blood streaming down his teammate's face, but the burning curiosity wouldn't let him. Evergreen's face contorted in pain, body writing as she begged for it to stop even though everyone who heard her knew it was futile.

Bickslow had fallen silent a long time ago. Freed tore his eyes away from the horror in front of him to look at the Sieth, but the other man's eyes were closed. It was only the unsteady rise and fall of his chest that indicated he was still alive, and Freed wondered if that was even preferable to the alternative. If this was the end of the line for the Raijinshuu, right here, right now then so be it. Let the wrath of the Thunder God rain down on the man in front of him. Maybe the added anger would give that extra bite Laxus would need to defeat Lin. Freed watched the last of Evergreen's procedure, the maniac in front of him forcing Bickslow to transfer her magic for nothing but the extra power it would give him. The man hauled Evergreen's unconscious body off the table she had lain on, shooting one last grin to the two mages before he winked out of existence.

Freed had always hated quiet. He'd never admit it, never out loud, but now it was suffocating him like it never had before. Bickslow was silent, something that usually meant he was up to something but now meant he had given up all hope. And maybe Freed had, too. Given up all hope of getting out of here alive, anyway. It was in that moment, as his eyes raked over the man he had come to see as his brother, that Freed realised he wasn't afraid of dying.

Freed stood on the edge of a battlefield, but something wasn't quite right. Like he was there, but not there. Like he was caught up in a dream, but his dreams had never been as real as this. He was commanding his army from atop the gates of the town he was sieging, one hand on his sword as magical energy crackled around him. He could see Evergreen, heading up the small division he had allocated to her and Bickslow, using his own division as puppets, continually marching forward even after they had been mortally wounded.

"Would you not rather be down there, getting into the fight?"

He didn't have to move his head to know who had spoken. The Dragon Slayer stood next to him, lightning arcing around both of their bodies as he grew ever impatient. No. He wouldn't rather be down there. Up here he could control the fight, and it's many variables. Up here he could gather information, fling runes and set up traps where needed. Let Bickslow and Evergreen lead the attack on the ground.

But this wasn't where Laxus belonged, and deep in his heart he knew it. Despite the other man being a leader, his physical strength and magical prowess led him to being a force to reckon with in hand to hand combat. And Freed could see he was itching for the feel of blood on his hands once again.

The nod he gave his idol was almost imperceptible. The slightest tilt of the head and Laxus was pure lightning, electricity sparking around the two of them as Freed's wings materialised and he raised himself up into the air. The battle was slowing now, almost won but it was obvious Laxus was anxious to deliver the final blow.

Their descent was in tandem, Freed falling into place behind the Dragon Slayer to start to pick off any stragglers his magic failed to kill. It was easy, a few short swipes with his sword and he was done. He didn't even have to expend any magical energy. Occasionally he would throw up runes to protect the two of them, fingers moving lightning fast as they drew up the necessary characters. The battle was like a dance, him and Laxus whirling through and around their enemies for mere seconds before moving into their next partner. Freed always forgot this, the utter rush of the battle as they weaved their way through the crowds. He looked over at Laxus, and time almost stopped.

Time had slowed for Freed only a few times in his life. Until it had happened he always assumed it was a fiction, an overused trope that people used to increase dramatic tension. For him it had always been in battles, and it had always ended badly. The first fight with Laxus. Finding Bickslow. Fighting Mirajane. Squaring off with Dragons. But in this moment it felt so small, so insignificant. One arrow was all it took, an arrow he spotted far too late. His fingers twitched in an autonomic response, starting the runes that his brain already knew would take too long to write.

People always assumed Laxus was intangible, invulnerable in his lightning body. They were wrong, of course, if anything he was more susceptible to piercing attacks. They could fly right through him to the most vulnerable parts, unhindered by skin or armour. Freed watched as the metal of the arrow found its way to Laxus' heart, the cold shock of the injury jarring the Dragon Slayer's concentration just enough so he became human again, flesh and skin sealing itself around the arrow as he fell to the floor.

Freed was certain he screamed, but he couldn't remember hearing it.

Lin grinned at the mage in front of him. What a nice surprise it had been to find him asleep when he has returned, wonderfully susceptible to the nightmares he was about to wring from him. He sat back and enjoyed the show that was provided just for him, heart racing as he began to realise what was about to happen. He was about to gain the power of a _Dragon_.


	49. Chapter 49

The noise was soothing to Bickslow, it always had been. Far before he met Laxus it had soothed him the rare times he had experienced it from his home in the desert. The thunder bought rain, and the rain bought life. Now, in his half awake state, thunder bought salvation.

He'd transferred Evergreen's magic without any further argument. The first time he argued Evergreen had been tortured, and that was just because he had Freed to solve the problems he'd caused. With Freed unconscious he wouldn't be so lucky. At least they were both already knocked out, he didn't think he would ever be able to bear the screams they'd let loose upon the cellar. Freed still hung across from him, soul strongly pulsing in the light and letting Bickslow know he was still alive. He hadn't been asked to transfer his soul. Evergreen was nowhere to be seen.

Lightning filled the room like a strobe light, and Bickslow knew he would be saved.

He knew, somewhere in the back of his mind, that he had to stay calm. He was excited, he'd been waiting for this moment since the bastard had taken his people, and the Dragon was impatient. The beast had come to the fore as soon as they'd been ripped away from Cana, Laxus loosening his restraints a little once he wasn't concerned with avoiding damage to his guild. He knew how transportation magic felt, Freed had done it enough times, but this was different. The pain just pissed off the Dragon more, tearing a growl from his throat even though he wasn't really tangible at the moment. It grew to an almost blinding point, and as the Dragon Slayer felt himself reforming wherever it was that he was being stolen to, he let it all go. He channelled all of that pain into his magic, lightning arcing around his body before it had even fully formed. An inhuman roar erupted from his throat, and before his eyes could even process what he was swinging at, Laxus was lunging forward on pure instinct. The Dragon knew where their enemy was. He knew what he wanted, to sink his teeth and claws into the man and shred him. Muscles bulged on his arms, his magic exploding across Laxus' body as he reached for Lin.

The attack caught Lin by surprise. He'd been pulling people across great distances to him for years, and to this point not a single one had made the trip fully conscious. The lightning danced across his skin, burning clothes and flesh alike as he was thrown back across the room. He grunted in pain as he hit the wall, coughing blood up from his lungs as he shuddered to his feet. This wasn't right. At least the lightning had shot him out of range of the man's more physical attack for the moment. But it wasn't going to stop him for long, he had to get moving. Laxus was already moving towards him, and he had no idea how quickly he could change forms yet. Fuck, maybe he should have gotten more practice in before he took on a Dragon Slayer.

He shook his head as he teleported across the living room of the house, rematerialising behind a column as he caught his breath. He had to think. Even with his added power it was nothing compared to an angry Dragon. First thing was first, he let the magic flow through his body as it took on a Satan Soul. Extra speed, defense and attack power wasn't something he could ever turn down. He allowed a ball of darkness to grow in his hand, twisting around the column to loose it at the Dragon Slayer to test his strength while already sprinting away. He would have to think on the move. Somehow the Dragon didn't sense or notice the energy in time and it hit him square in the chest, knocking Laxus across the room. Lin intended to keep moving, but then he caught sight of his own reflection in a mirror hung on the wall.

He couldn't stop himself, he had to look. The first thing he'd noticed was his hair and eyes. They were actually what had snagged his attention in the first place. He'd thought he saw fire and panicked for a moment that somehow the other Dragon Slayer had found him. But it was just his hair. It had shortened a good foot or two, coming loose of its braid and standing on end. It sort of floated, as if he was underwater, almost with a mind of its own. And like his eyes, his hair had lightened. Normally they were a dark red, like blood that had started to dry, but now it was a vibrant color reminiscent of flame. That wasn't what kept his attention so fully though. His clothing had disappeared completely, revealing his muscular torso, scars and tattoos exposed. They'd been added to as well, inky black cracks forming across his forearms and stomach. They didn't hurt, he'd not even known they were there until he saw them. Lifting his right arm to allow him to follow one of the cracks as it wrapped around his waist, Lin caught sight of something that almost made him squeal. How had he not noticed that he had a tail? A five foot long, obsidian, scaled tail was protruding from his back, right between his hips. Hips which were covered by a strange tight fitting material that seemed to be his only clothing. Not what he would have chosen, but it seemed to fit the look, this fabric clinging to his body and down to his knees where it tattered into nothing, leaving his calves exposed right up to the new scales that climbed up from his feet. Lin was just starting to examine the claws that now existed where his toes had been when his brain caught up with how stupid he was. Whipping his head up to search for his opponent, he was just fast enough to throw his arms across, absently noting that they were clawed as well, scales armoring his forearms up to his elbows. Good thing, too, or the force behind Laxus' punch would have just shattered his bones.

He didn't stay there for long, using the momentum the punch gave him to jump back and out of the way. Laxus was bigger than him, and in an all out brawl of strength he didn't stand a chance. But he knew that Laxus wasn't a tactician at the best of times, and especially not riled up like he was right now. Add to that the advantage Lin gained from being on home soil, and the Dragon Slayer didn't stand a chance. He teleported again, ignoring the drag it put on his magic energy as he raised his hands, growing a bigger sphere of darkness this time and unleashing it directly into Laxus' back.

Instinct took over again and Laxus lurched to the side, narrowly avoiding being hit by the sphere. He whipped his left arm backward, his torso following the movement as his threw lightning in the direction the orb had come from. Lin, of course, had expected immediate retaliation and moved already, but he was still almost caught by the next bolt. As Laxus spun in the air, his right arm had continued the movement, loosing a second attack. Rather than landing on his back as the motion should have caused, the blonde man suddenly burst into living electricity, shooting around the room. Where he moved too close, scorch marks appeared on the walls, a sofa bursting into flame when he collided with it.

Something clicked in Lin's head as he watched Laxus' body change, and he almost got hit as he tried to dart out of the way, lightning dancing across his skin and sending a burn through his flesh. He needed out, and he needed out fast. Teleporting again he vanished out into the hall, sprinting at full speed towards the gym. He could hear lightning crash behind him, but he had a head start. And he had an idea.

Laxus couldn't help the roar that burst from his throat as his prey fled out of sight. Even in lightning form, his nose flared as his Dragon hunted for the scent. There, faintly, so very faint, was the scent of his Raijinshuu and that only angered him more. He couldn't tell where it was coming from. It could have just been their scents clinging to the man who held them, who had hurt them. This thought almost drove his ability to think completely out of his head, but the man still managed to yank control back just enough to sift through the scents. _THERE!_ Without another wasted second, he launched himself through the wall into the hallway Lin had just run down.

Lin could feel the startings of a roar behind him like a sixth sense, and this time his teleport was within plenty of time to avoid the magic. He stumbled as he appeared in the gym, falling momentarily onto his hands and knees. He shoved himself back to his feet and began to lock the door. He had spent so much time in here hiding from his brothers, the locks were better than most houses. It wouldn't hold him forever, but it would be enough. He transformed back into his own form, shrugging off his clothes and hoping that it held enough scent for him to be out of the room to collect what he needed without the blonde knowing.

Laxus' Dragon was enraged when he came to the door where the scent trail ended. He kept throwing his shoulder against it, some part in the back of his mind registering the entire wall shaking from the force of the collision. The wood groaned, lightning arcing between the handle and the hinges, leaving scorches along the surface.

Lin stumbled into another room, his body starting to scream at the quick succession of teleports so soon after he had pulled Laxus to him. Still not enough power, never enough power. He shot up, ripping the silver curtain rod from the wall. Bless his mother and her ridiculously expensive tastes. Taking a second to suck in a breath he remembered how little time he had, and teleported again.

His breath heaved as he set up the pole, wedging it between two machines so it pointed towards the door. If he had more time it would be much more elegant, but he could already hear slamming against the wooden frame and he knew his time was nearly up. He closed his eyes as he changed, body bulking up as the beast soul he had stolen overtook him. A feral grin spread across his face as he spun, picking up all the weights he could and, without a second thought, teleporting away from the room.

Laxus clamped down on his rage for a moment, back away from the door, breathing heavily. "Lightning Dragon's Raging Bolt!" He forced the anger into power, finally blasting the door open with a painful screech, hanging from the top hinge. He only had to take one step into the gym to see that their quarry wasn't there. The back of his mind registered the strange set up of free lifting equipment, but most of his attention was given to the Dragon and his instincts, searching for any sign of where Lin had gone to.

Lin let out a shaky breath, collecting himself as he transformed into something bigger, stronger. He closed his eyes as he felt his body expand, the soul of a beast overtaking him. He would need this strength if his plan was to come through. He heard the man break into the gym and knew he didn't have long left, he needed to move now. Two teleports in such quick succession would hurt, and take a lot of his energy, but he could worry about that later. He'd have a lot of time to recuperate after this, if everything went to plan. All he had to do was wait for the scream.

It took a while for Laxus to smell where he had gone, what with Lin's scent as ingrained into this house as it was. Up. He was straight up. Which meant the easiest way to get to him was… He roared as his body changed, electricity surrounding him and he had just started to rise to burn through the ceiling when it happened. He roared in anger, body being pulled against his will towards the ridiculous contraption he had seen when he first entered the room. He realised too late that the pole was silver, conductive and wicked sharp and he screamed as it pulled him towards him, pointed end slipping easily into where his chest would be. The anger turned to pure survival instinct, pain tearing through his body as it became flesh and blood again, forming around the pole and sticking straight out from his back.

He didn't have time to look up when Lin appeared, three feet above him in the air. He didn't stay there for long, the weight of Lizardman alone enough to send him tumbling towards the ground, without the extra he was holding in his hands. He heard the crunch as he landed, silver pole snapping off inside of Laxus' body, the crack of bones providing a perfect sympathy as Lin rolled off to the side, allowing himself a moment to revel in his victory.


End file.
